


The Feed and Caring of Steven J. McGarrett

by Tkeyla



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: First Time, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-21
Updated: 2015-09-14
Packaged: 2018-04-05 09:16:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 20,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4174389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tkeyla/pseuds/Tkeyla
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve is out of sorts. Danny is the one who has to find out why and make it all better.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Simmering Want

**Author's Note:**

> I felt the need for some Steve hurt/comfort so I thought I'd write a little story to satisfy my muses. 7,000+ words later and this is what happened. And the story's still not done. (Some day, I will write _short_ stories.)
> 
> (Includes medical hand-waving because I'm not interested in researching the real facts.)

Naturally it fell to Danny whenever there was a suspicion that Steve was out of sorts. Because Danny had the _misfortune_ (at least that what he claimed to any who would listen) of being Steve’s partner. It was a partnership so far contained exclusive to their work relationship. There were times when Danny secretly held a faint glimmer of hope that it would expand to their personal lives. But that time hadn’t come. With Steve being king of the Commitment-Phobs, Danny despaired the time never would arrive.  
  
Kono didn’t bother to enter Danny’s office – just raised one slim, deceptively delicate arm and pointed at Steve’s office from the doorway. The scowl on her face conveyed her unhappiness and, worse, dampened her innate joyfulness.  
  
“What?” Danny asked, trying to keep the resignation out of his tone. In truth he knew what she was telling him. Steve had snapped at each of them already and it was barely 10:00 o’clock. Snapping was bad in itself. For it to occur when they were each in their office tackling paperwork was worse. It meant something was way off-kilter and Danny was the designated team member to confront the lion with a thorn in his paw.  
  
“Do something,” she said, flipping her ponytail as she marched unhappily back to her own office.  
  
Danny looked through the glass and empty space between his office and Steve’s. Steve was trying to stare holes into his computer. From his expression, Danny knew he hadn’t yet succeeded.  
  
With a sigh, he stood and as casually as he possibly could, wandered over to Steve’s office. He could feel Chin and Kono’s combined unhappiness spearing him in the back. He only hoped Steve didn’t spear him in the front.  
  
Danny knocked and entered at the same time, Steve ignoring him. “Hey, big guy,” Danny said in an easy tone.  
  
“What?” Steve barked, turning his dark frown on Danny. “What do you want?”  
  
“Whoa,” Danny said, one hand up to ward off the verbal attack. “Can you talk to me with less snarling, please?”  
  
“Snarling? What the hell are you talking about?” Steve demanded in the same tone.  
  
“Babe,” Danny said, entering the office the rest of the way. He stood next to Steve’s desk, leaning one hip on the edge. “What’s going on?” No point in dancing around it.  
  
“Nothing’s going on,” Steve said, alternating between glaring at his computer and glaring at Danny. “I’m busy. What do you need?”  
  
“Did your computer do something to offend you?” Danny asked, ignoring Steve’s remarks. “You can’t kill it with your mind, you know.”  
  
“What?” Steve snapped. “What do you want?”  
  
“To find out why you are acting like a snapping turtle. Snap, snap, snap,” Danny said, his hand making a biting motion to illustrate each snap.  
  
“There are no snapping turtles in Hawaii,” Steve said without having to think about it.  
  
“A – so not the point. And B – you are doing an excellent imitation of one.”  
  
“Please get to the point, if you actually have one,” Steve said in exasperation.  
  
“Why are you acting like a bear with a sore tooth?” Danny asked, enunciating each word clearly and distinctly.  
  
“How did you know?” Steve said before catching himself. “There’s nothing wrong except I can’t work with you staring at me.”  
  
“How did I know what?” Danny asked, leaning a little closer to study Steve. Something was definitely off. He was pale and there were inky circles around his eyes.  
  
“I’m trying to get some work done,” Steve replied. “Don’t you have any you can do?”  
  
“Babe,” Danny sighed. “Come on. I’ll buy you a cup of coffee. Or a disgusting green smoothie.”  
  
“No,” Steve said refusing to take his eyes off his computer to look up at Danny. “I’m busy.”  
  
“Steve,” he said in return. “Something is wrong. Stop being a mighty warrior and tell me.”  
  
“A mighty warrior,” Steve repeated with the first thawing of his anger.  
  
“A super SEAL. A walking armament. Whatever. I know something’s bothering you so why don’t you cut to the chase and tell me. As much as I love these little dances of ours, it’s not getting us anywhere.”  
  
“I’m fine,” Steve lied.  
  
“No you aren’t,” Danny said, grabbing Steve’s wrist and tugging him up. Steve allowed it, looking down at Danny’s hand while hitching up his pants. “Huh,” Danny said, reaching for the waist of Steve’s jeans. There was a gap of a couple of inches that wasn’t filled by Steve’s firm, lean body. “Why are you losing weight?” He looked up at Steve who was trying to avoid his gaze, still staring down at Danny’s hand wrapped around his wrist. Steve made no move to escape Danny’s touch. “Why is mouth swollen?” Danny asked, reaching up to lightly touch Steve’s inflamed right cheek, not surprised when Steve flinched away. “Did someone hit you? Is that why you are being so cranky? I don’t remember you getting clocked in the past week. Did I miss something?”  
  
“Would you please stop talking?” Steve requested much less snappishly.  
  
“Would you please tell me what’s wrong?” Danny parroted.  
  
Steve sighed from the bottom of his souls. “Fine, fine,” he said. “I have an infected wisdom tooth.”  
  
“Oh,” Danny said, standing on his toes to better see Steve’s cheek. “Wow.”  
  
“Yeah.”  
  
“How long has it been hurting?” Danny asked in sympathy.  
  
“It started Friday. I hoped it would…you know…go away.”  
  
“That you could will it into submission with your all-mighty SEAL powers.”  
  
“Sort of. I guess,” Steve said with a shrug.  
  
“Did it occur you to call your dentist?” Danny asked sensibly. He could only watch as a shiver ran through Steve’s body. “Don’t tell me. You are dentist-phobic.”  
  
“Not exactly,” Steve hedged.  
  
“Okay, then let’s call the office and get you an appointment. Wisdom teeth don’t spontaneous extract themselves, you know.”  
  
“I don’t have a dentist. Not here, anyway,” Steve admitted quietly.  
  
“What?” Danny asked. “You’ve been away from the Navy for five years and you don’t have a civilian dentist?”  
  
“I haven’t needed one,” Steve said.  
  
“You haven’t had your teeth cleaned in five years?” Danny asked as though it wasn’t possible.  
  
“No? I brush and floss.”  
  
“Babe,” Danny said, shaking his head. “Can you go to a VA dentist?”  
  
“I could. Or I could go to a civilian dentist. But I don’t need a dentist,” Steve said firmly.  
  
“You do,” Danny said. “You aren’t eating. Your face is swollen. And you are yelling at your ohana. How do you think any of that is gong to change if you don’t have your wisdom tooth extracted?”  
  
There it was again. The full body shudder. “You are scared of dentists, aren’t you?” Danny said, carefully keeping any signs of amazement out of his voice.  
  
“Of course not,” Steve said. But Danny knew better.  
  
“You are a lying liar who lies,” Danny said, taking out his phone. “Okay. I’m going to call my dentist. She’s very, very nice. She can provide anesthesia so you won’t know what’s happening.”  
  
“Nitrous oxide?” Steve asked.  
  
“Yep,” Danny said, pressing the correct speed dial. “Hi Angela. This is Danny Williams…I’m great, thanks…I have a sort-of emergency. My partner, Steve McGarrett, has an impacted wisdom tooth. When is the soonest Dr. Songe can fit him in?... In 90 minutes?... That’s perfect…Okay. I’ll tell him. Thanks, Angela. You’re the best.” Danny hung up to turn back to Steve who looked like he was about to bolt – from the room, the building, possibly the planet. “She had a cancellation. Angela is fitting you at noon.”  
  
“I don’t need a dentist,” Steve tried again.  
  
“Kono, Chin,” Danny called as he left Steve’s office, ignoring Steve’s protests.  
  
“What’s up?” Chin asked, glancing at Steve and his unhappy expression with some trepidation.  
  
“Turns out Super SEAL has an impacted wisdom tooth,” Danny said, pausing to let Steve speak for himself. Steve studiously ignored him. “I called my dentist who had a cancellation. I’m taking Steve home so he can swim off some of his anxiety then I’ll be taking him to have his tooth extracted. We won’t be in tomorrow.”  
  
Chin and Kono nodded approvingly.  
  
Steve was frowning even harder. “You don’t need to come. I’m perfectly capable of taking myself to the appointment.”  
  
“No you aren’t,” Danny said. “You can’t drive yourself home afterwards. You’ll be too dopey. And I can’t be sure you’ll go if I leave you to your own devices.”  
  
Steve considered his words, clearly wanting to argue. “We’ll be in tomorrow,” Steve finally said to the cousins. He could at least argue about that.  
  
“No we won’t. You won’t feel like doing anything more strenuous than lying on the couch. Trust me. And I will be at your house to make sure you don’t do anything unbelievably stupid.”  
  
“We’ll be in tomorrow,” Steve repeated like Danny hadn’t spoken.  
  
“Sure Boss,” Kono said with a solicitously pat on his arm. “Thank you, Boss #2.”  
  
“You’re welcome. I’ll call the governor on the way to Steve’s house,” Danny said as he drug a reluctant Steve out of the office by a hand once again circling Steve’s wrist.  
  
“Stop pulling me around like a dog,” Steve protested.  
  
“You sure couldn’t get away from me if you really wanted to,” Danny said. “I had my wisdom teeth out in Jersey. You go to sleep, they’re pulled out, you wake up and eat oatmeal for a couple days. Then – boom – good as new.”  
  
“I hate you,” Steve said, going to the driver side of the Camaro.  
  
“I know, Babe. But one of us has to be an adult.”  
  
“I’m an adult,” Steve protested.  
  
“Uh huh. You’ve harbored a toothache since Friday. Not only did you not tell us, you didn’t do anything to have it relieved. How is that acting like an adult?”  
  
“Shut up,” Steve finally said as he drove them toward his house.  
  
“Whatever,” Danny said, waving away his words. “You can have water to drink but you shouldn’t eat anything before your appointment.”  
  
“I haven’t eaten today,” Steve admitted reluctantly.  
  
“Yeah, there’s a big surprise,” Danny said.  
  
“Shut up,” Steve repeated.  
  
“Stop pouting,” Danny replied. “It’s not a good look. And it’s certainly not an _adult_ thing to do.” He ignored Steve’s attempts to protest that he was in fact acting like an adult as Danny called the Governor’s office, explaining that he and Steve would be out the rest of the day and all day tomorrow. After receiving acknowledgment, he disconnected watching the scenery whiz by.  
  
“It’s not the dentist per se I don’t like,” Steve said, startling Danny. He’d expected the drive home to be completely silent as Steve stewed over his impending appointment.  
  
“What is it?” Danny asked.  
  
“It’s being immobile,” Steve said. “Because I can’t move the entire time.”  
  
“You feel claustrophobic,” Danny said in understanding.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve admitted. “I know it’s stupid.”  
  
“No it isn’t,” Danny said. “You are always on the go. To keep still for any amount of time goes against everything you are.”  
  
“I feel trapped,” Steve confirmed. “And I guess I start to panic.”  
  
“Well, frankly, it’s good for my well-being to know that there is something you are actually afraid of,” Danny told him.  
  
“I’m just not scared of _everything_ like you,” Steve said.  
  
“I am not scared of everything,” Danny huffed.  
  
“The ocean…”  
  
“Too big. Full of man eating prey.”  
  
“Mushrooms…”  
  
“I’m not scared to eat mushrooms. I hate the way they feel in my mouth,” Danny said.  
  
“Flying…”  
  
“I am not,” Danny said. “I get bored.”  
  
“ _Bored_ ,” Steve repeated. “Too much sunshine.”  
  
“Skin cancer. Blisters. Dehydration.”  
  
“Bugs….”  
  
“Any reasonable person is afraid of bugs,” Danny said.  
  
“Reasonable,” Steve said with a great deal of mockery. “Storms.”  
  
“We could all be washed away in a tsunami. I’m sure you and Kono would grab up your surfboards and have the time of your life.”  
  
“Horses,” Steve said, smiling at the idea of surfing a tsunami. Not that they ever could but what a rush it would be.  
  
“I’m not scared of horses. I call full and complete bullshit on that one.”  
  
“You won’t let Grace learn to ride,” Steve reminded him.  
  
“I’m not afraid of them. I just don’t want my precious daughter to risk falling off of one.”  
  
“How is that different from being scared of them?” Steve asked as he turned into his driveway.  
  
“Shut up,” Danny replied.  
  
“Very adult,” Steve said. “And I’ll shut up when you admit you’re afraid of everything.”  
  
“That day will never come,” Danny said as he followed Steve into his house. “I’ll be by the shore when you’re ready to swim.”  
  
“Be right down,” Steve said as he ran up the stairs two at a time.  
  
Danny shook his head and went into the kitchen for two icy bottles of waters. He drank from one as he wandered down to the shaded chairs right above the slope to the water. It was beautifully tranquil here, as much as he loathed to admit it.  
  
He turned and looked when he heard the backdoor close. The sight of Steve in only his boardies made his breath hitch, as always. Could the man be any more gorgeous? Danny didn’t know how it would be possible.  
  
In an effort to distract himself and disguise his hunger at Steve’s approach, he screwed the lid off the water bottle and held it up to Steve.  
  
Steve shook his head, giving Danny the towel he’d carried out with him. “It’s too cold. I’ll drink it when it’s warmed up.”  
  
“Right. Okay,” Danny agreed, leaning over the arm of the chair and putting the water in a sunny patch. “Don’t swim too long.”  
  
“I know you won’t let me,” Steve said, jogging down to his beloved ocean and driving in to disappear beneath its crystal blue surface.  
  
The stretch of muscles over his brown back and arms was even more enticing to Danny’s bubbling brain. Should he do something about all this latent desire that consumed him every time he was near Steve? Danny considered all the possible ramifications of telling Steve the truth as he waited for Steve to emerge from his watery element, keeping a close eye on the time. Another five minutes and he’d have to call Steve ashore. Before he had to yell out to him, Steve swam up, slowly emerging from the ocean, the water as reluctant to leave his body as he was to leave its comforting waves.  
  
“Hey,” Danny said, squinting at him as Steve dripped on him. Danny handed up his towel, scrutinizing Steve’s face for signs of pain. They were barely there, in the lines around his slightly swollen mouth and the shadows under his eyes.  
  
“What?” Steve asked, slowly and methodically drying himself.  
  
“What what? You need to take a shower and get dressed,” Danny said, reaching down for the bottled water that was no longer ice cold. “Here.”  
  
“Mmm…” Steve grunted in thanks before loping up to the house to disappear inside.  
  
Danny knew Steve had intentionally used the towel while standing right next to the chair where he was sitting. Did that mean that Steve was as drawn to Danny as the reverse? Steve was the proverbial flame that drew the moths with no effort expended on his part. Danny had known a handful of people in his life who exuded that magnetism but it was the strongest from Steve. Danny thought that was a mark against his chances – Steve could have anyone he set his fancy to. Danny drew enough appreciative looks to know he wasn’t hideous to look at. But compared to Steve? Almost anyone would fade away in comparison to him. Not Chin or Kono though. It was like he was the designated ‘normal’ one of their ohana. Attractive but not breathtakingly so, not in the same league as his teammates.  
  
“What are you thinking so hard about?” Steve asked as he strolled down the lawn dressed in jeans, a black tee shirt, and his favorite flip-flops. “I called you three times and you didn’t answer.”  
  
“Oh,” Danny said, standing to face him. “Lost in thought.” Danny waved it away, studying Steve. He was wound less tight as was often the case after a therapeutic swim. He had deposited the stress in the water. Danny wished he had a surefire method to wash away his own concerns as effectively.  
  
“About what?” Steve asked, carefully sipping from the water. He flinched as he swallowed but Danny decided to leave the reaction alone. Talking about it would only ramp up the tension again.  
  
“Not important. You ready?” Danny asked.  
  
“I guess,” Steve said with a shrug.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, leading the way back toward the house. If Steve’s steps were slower than usual, Danny put it down to understandable reluctance to keep the appointment.  
  
He didn’t argue when Steve went directly to the driver’s seat, knowing he’d be driving the Camaro back to Steve’s. “While you’re under, I’m going to run to my house for a couple of changes of clothes.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed.  
  
“I’ll also pick up your prescriptions.”  
  
“What prescriptions?” Steve asked.  
  
“Antibiotics and pain relievers. It’s standard procedure after an extraction.”  
  
“Oh,” Steve said.  
  
“Is nitrous oxide you going to make reveal your double top secret classified secrets to Dr. Songe?”  
  
“Double top secret secrets?” Steve repeated, glancing over at Danny.  
  
“You know full well what I’m asking,” Danny informed him. “Do you talk when you’re sedated?”  
  
“I don’t think so?”  
  
“With all the injuries you’ve had, you haven’t been under anesthesia?” Danny asked.  
  
“A couple of times. But no one ever said anything about me talking. You talk when you’re under, don’t you?” Steve asked knowingly.  
  
“I’ll have you know I only talk when I’m starting to wake up. Apparently I talk to the Tiny People who live in my pockets,” Danny said.  
  
“Tiny people live in your pockets? I’ve never seen them when I’m doing your laundry.”  
  
“I only see them when under the influence of strong drugs,” Danny said.  
  
“Other than nitrate oxide? You are an officer of the law.”  
  
“I was prescribed oxycodone when I crashed my knee. Mom finally refused to let me take them after I told her to stop stepping on the Tinies.”  
  
“Were they taking over your house?”  
  
“They were having a party in the living room. She had no respect for their celebration,” Danny said.  
  
“Huh,” Steve said.  
  
“Yeah. I don’t really remember much about it but I’ve been regaled with my tales of the Tinies.”  
  
“Do you talk in your sleep?” Steve asked.  
  
“Medically induced sleep or regular sleep?”  
  
“You just said you don’t talk when you’re sedated,” Steve said.  
  
“Rachel didn’t say anything about me talking. Since she never shied away from enumerating each and every one of my flaws, I’m confidence it would have come up.”  
  
“What flaws?” Steve asked, looking surprised that the words had come out of his mouth.  
  
Danny laughed, letting him off the hook. He knew it was nerves that was making Steve speak without thinking. It didn’t mean anything. Not. One. Thing.  
  
Any backtracking Steve might have tried was forestalled when they arrived at the building that housed Danny’s dentist. Steve turned off the car, staring at the tidy white office building.  
  
“She’s not going to come out here,” Danny said, opening his door. Steve was still in the car and Danny thought for one minute that Steve might drive away. Finally, with reluctance in every line in his body, Steve got out of the car.  
  
“I blame you.”  
  
“I didn’t impact your tooth,” Danny said, opening the front door to the refreshing coolness of the interior, his hand resting on the small of Steve’s back, like always. Danny led him directly to the front counter, informing Angela that Steve McGarrett had arrived for his appointment. “Insurance card,” Danny said, extending his hand toward Steve. Steve extracted it from his wallet, standing to the side as though he was in no way involved in this visit.  
  
“It’ll be just a minute,” Angela told them, handing Danny a form which needed to be completed. Danny accepted the clipboard and pen, guiding Steve wordlessly to a pair of chairs in the waiting area.  
  
“’Emergency contact’ – me. ’Known allergies’ – none,” Danny ticked off. “’Medical issues’ – I guess stubborn and hard headed don’t count.”  
  
Steve remained absent from the completion of the form, staring at the front door while silently plotting his escape.  
  
“Sign here,” Danny said, pointing at the bottom of the form.  
  
Steve accepted the pen, signing as instructed.  
  
“Just like the paperwork at the office. You didn’t even glance at it.”  
  
“Do I need to?” Steve asked watching him return the clipboard to the receptionist.  
  
“Of course not,” Danny said when he was seated next to him. He watched Steve’s right leg bounce in a nervous staccato.  
  
“What are we doing with Grace this weekend?” Steve asked, looking for a distraction.  
  
“She has that school project she wants your help with. She texted you, didn’t she?”  
  
“Oh right,” Steve said. “Sea turtles.”  
  
“ _Not_ snapping turtles,” Danny said.  
  
“Are you guys spending the night?”  
  
“I’m not sure you’ll be up to it,” Danny said.  
  
“Today’s only Tuesday. I’ll be fine by then. I’ll be able to go to work tomorrow.”  
  
Danny sighed, shaking his head. “No you won’t be at work tomorrow. And we’ll spend the night over the weekend if you are feeling up to it.”  
  
“I will,” Steve said. He jerked when Angela called his name. Danny stood to follow him into the back.  
  
“He’s a little nervous,” Danny confided quietly to Angela.  
  
“There’s nothing to worry about, Commander,” she said reassuringly. “Dr. Songe is the best.”  
  
“That’s what Danny said,” Steve said, standing rigidly beside the dental chair.  
  
“You have to sit down, Babe,” Danny said in coaxing.  
  
Steve took a deep breath and slowly lowered himself to the paper covered chair. He was clinching the arms so tightly Danny worried they would snap.  
  
“This is Hannah,” Angela said for Steve’s benefit. “She’s the hygienist that’s going to be helping out Dr. Songe.”  
  
“Detective,” Hannah said to Danny with a smile. “How are you doing?”  
  
“I’m fine. Steve’s…well,” Danny said with a shrug.  
  
“I understand,” Hannah said, moving so she was in front of Steve. “I need to take x-rays of your mouth. It’ll only take a few minutes. Do you want Detective Williams to stay?”  
  
“No,” Steve said stiffly, finally acknowledging her presence.  
  
“I’ll be right out in the waiting room,” Danny said, a hint of warning in the words.  
  
Steve grunted, looking up at Hannah with an expression that Danny rarely saw on Steve’s face. It was generally reserved for international terrorists and bartenders who tried overcharging them for drinks.  
  
“I’ll let you know when he’s ready for surgery,” Hannah said. If she saw Steve’s jerk in reaction to the word, she made no comment.  
  
“Right,” Danny said, returning to the waiting area. He took out his phone and called the office, Chin and Kono assuring him that everything remained calm. Steve’s crazy-magnet wasn’t attracting any trouble. “Keep me posted.”  
  
“You do the same,” Kono said before they hung up.  
  
With nothing else to do, Danny picked up a nearby issue of _Sports Illustrated_ , surprised it was the latest edition. He wasn’t especially interested in who was predicted to win the Heisman trophy but reading the cover article kept his thoughts safely away from the _want_ simmering under his skin.  
  
“Detective,” Hannah said.  
  
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked, standing to approach. She didn’t have a murderous gleam in her eye so he had reason to believe Steve had been reluctantly cooperative.  
  
“He’s nervous but agreeable. From the looks of it, two of his wisdom teeth are impacted. Dr. Songe will make the final determination, of course. But in most of these cases, it’s best to have all four extracted at once.”  
  
“That makes sense. What did Steve say?”  
  
“I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Can you speak to him?”  
  
“He’s gone into a monosyllabic fugue state,” Danny said to her nods. “All right.”  
  
He followed her into the room where a stiff and unhappy Steve sat, rigidly staring out the window. “Hey Babe.”  
  
Steve frowned at him. His expression told Danny everything he needed to know. Steve was angry and unhappy and two seconds from making a break for freedom. He had been staring at the window to determine if it was a viable exit route.  
  
“Do you want to go ahead and have all four extracted while you’re here?” Danny asked, a grounding hand on Steve’s shoulder.  
  
“Mnble…”  
  
“What?” Danny said. “Once again in English. We don’t speak seal.”  
  
“Maybe. I guess,” Steve said unhappily.  
  
“There you go,” Danny said with a nod to Hannah. “Can Dr. Songe give me the prescriptions before she sees Steve?”  
  
“Of course,” Hannah said. “I’ll be right back,” she assured Steve with a pat on his shoulder. She led Danny to the office off the reception area, explaining to Angela what they needed.  
  
“I’ll ask Dr. Songe to sign these right before she begins,” Angela said.  
  
“Thank you. There aren’t many things that affect Steve like this,” Danny said quietly.  
  
“It’s not unusual,” Angela said. “We’ve found that most servicemen don’t like having to sit still long enough to have treatment.”  
  
“That’s about it,” Danny agreed.  
  
“I’ll bring you the prescriptions when they are signed.”  
  
Danny nodded and retreated to the waiting area to return to his disinterested reading of the magazine.  
  
He didn’t know exactly how much time had passed when Angela came out with the prescriptions.  
  
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked, glancing back at the area with the exam rooms.  
  
“He’s doing everything he can to ignore Dr. Songe,” Angela said. “She’s very patient, as you know, and doesn’t take it personally.”  
  
“Good thing,” Danny said, looking down at the prescriptions.  
  
“Does the Commander have trouble with either of these medications?” she asked.  
  
“No. He’s taken them before. Why?”  
  
“You look…worried,” Angela said.  
  
“No, no. I’ll go get these filled.”  
  
“All right,” Angela agreed. “It will take about 45 minutes for the procedure.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said, going to the door. “You have my cell phone number in case you need me.”  
  
“He’ll be fine,” she assured him.  
  
He nodded and left.  
  
~0~  
  
“I’m back,” he told Angela when he’d returned to the office.  
  
“Hi,” she said.  
  
“How’s Steve doing?”  
  
“Knocked out cold,” she said. “Dr. Songe is finishing up. You’ll be able to take him home in about half an hour. Hannah will come and get you when the coast is clear.”  
  
“I’ll need to be there when he wakes up.”  
  
“It’s a common concern with veterans,” Angela agreed.  
  
“Thanks,” Danny said, sitting back in the chair he’d left before his errands. He nodded to an older man waiting in the chair across the way.  
  
“It’s hard, isn’t it?” the man asked kindly.  
  
“What’s that?” Danny asked.  
  
“Waiting for someone you love. When there’s nothing you can do to help.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed, wondering if it was written on his forehead: _Blindly in love with a giant doofus._  
  
“My Myrtle is having a root canal,” the man said with a shake of his head. “Tried to pretend it wasn’t hurting her.”  
  
“But you knew better,” Danny said.  
  
“Naturally. You always see when you look through the eyes of love.”  
  
“Mine is having his wisdom teeth extracted,” Danny said.  
  
“Then he’ll be just fine,” the man said knowingly. He studied Danny for a moment, tilting his head to one side. “Have we met?”  
  
“I don’t believe I’ve had the privilege,” Danny said, standing and offering his hand. “Danny Williams.”  
  
“Theodore Hermann,” the man said with a firm handshake. “You look awfully familiar.”  
  
“I guess I have one of those faces,” Danny said with a smile.  
  
“Possibly,” Mr. Hermann said. He nodded toward Hannah when she came to the door of the reception area. “She’s here for you?”  
  
“She is,” Danny agreed, turning to look down at Mr. Hermann. “It was nice to meet you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Mr. Hermann said.  
  
“How’s he doing?” Danny asked as he approached Hannah.  
  
“Still asleep. He’ll be coming around very soon. Angela reminded us that you need to be with him.”  
  
“I’m pretty sure he won’t go into SuperSEAL mode but he might be confused about where he is.”  
  
“You don’t have to explain,” she assured him as they went into dimly lit recovery room. “We’ve had plenty of experience with veterans.”  
  
“That’s what Angela said,” he agreed, looking down at Steve who was sleeping slack jawed. He was drooling a little, his breathing deep and steady. He looked a bit like a chipmunk with all the gauze packed into his mouth. “Thanks,” he said to Hannah.  
  
“Angela will hear you if you need anything,” Hannah said, handing him a small soft cloth. He waited until she’d left the room to wipe up the drool, glad it wasn’t bloody. Not that he’d mind the blood but knowing Steve wasn’t bleeding was reassuring. Choking was a real threat he had to watch out for.  
  
After cleaning up Steve’s chin, Danny sat on a stool next to Steve’s chair. Steve’s right arm was on the arm of the chair and Danny picked up his hand to hold it in his own. Even slack from medically induced sleep, Steve’s hand felt powerful and sure. Strong and protective. Danny stroked the back of it, careful to avoid the Band-Aid that covered where the drug had been inserted.  
  
Steve’s jerk transmitted through their hands, although Danny hadn’t needed to feel it. He’d been watching Steve for the first sign of returning consciousness.  
  
“You’re safe, Babe,” Danny said soothingly. “You don’t have anything to worry about.”  
  
Steve blinked sleep-heavy eyes, trying to focus on his surroundings. Danny knew the tension in Steve’s hand was from uncertainty.  
  
“I’m right here,” Danny assured him.  
  
Steve blinked again, turning his head enough to look up at Danny. His face relaxed minutely even his body remained on red alert.  
  
“Do you know where you are?” Danny asked.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve grunted. It sounded a little like a yes. There was no question in it.  
  
“You know who I am,” Danny said, sure he was right.  
  
“Uh-huh,” Steve agreed, tentatively moving his jaw.  
  
“I wouldn’t do that if I were,” Danny warned.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve grunted. He flinched, the pain flaring up from the combination of the surgery and the fact that his mouth had been held wide open for much longer than normal. “Uhn?” Steve was pointing at his watch, trying to focus on it.  
  
“You were out for about 40 minutes,” Danny said. “We can go home in 20 minutes or so. As soon as Dr. Songe and her staff are sure you’re not going to choke on your own blood. And you aren’t going to have any reaction to the anesthesia.”  
  
“Uhn.” Steve closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose.  
  
“Overall, how are you feeling?”  
  
Steve managed to open his eyes enough to glare up at Danny.  
  
“I’ll take that as ‘I feel like shit,’” Danny translated.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve confirmed, pointing at Danny’s chest with his left hand.  
  
“My fault. You’re right. I should have let you pull out your own wisdom teeth with a wrench and garroting wire.”  
  
“Uhn,” Steve agreed. Amazing how smug he could sound when he was unable to talk.  
  
“How are we doing?” Dr. Songe asked brightly when she came it. She was a tiny Hawaiian native, as chipper and bright as the infernal sunshine that tried to drive Danny insane.  
  
“He woke up about five minutes ago,” Danny said.  
  
“Right on time,” Dr. Songe said in approval. She held her fingers to Steve’s left wrist, counting with her watch. “Pulse is a little fast. That’s understandable. May I check your pupils?” she asked Steve, showing him her pin light.  
  
He nodded, trying not to react when she shone her light in his eyes.  
  
“Good. Equal and responsive. Any nausea? Dizziness?”  
  
Steve shook his head with each question.  
  
“Very good. You’ll need to return in three weeks to have the sutures removed.”  
  
“Sutures?” Danny repeated, Steve glaring up at him.  
  
“The bottom two teeth were very deep. We had to put in several stitches so the gums would heal properly.”  
  
“I see,” Danny said. “Does that complicate recovery?”  
  
“Not for someone as healthy as the Commander,” Dr. Songe said. “It will make eating difficult for a couple of days. Soft foods only. It will all be in the aftercare instructions Hannah will provide.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said.  
  
Dr. Songe looked back at Steve, checking his pulse one last time before nodding in satisfaction. “Detective Williams will be able to take you home in 20 minutes.”  
  
Steve nodded, closing his eyes in order to pretend he was no part of the conversation taking place above him.  
  
“Do you have any questions or concerns?” she asked Danny.  
  
“No. I remember what I have to look for. Fever, sweating, dizziness, bleeding.”  
  
“Exactly. Don’t hesitate to call if you have any concerns.”  
  
“I will,” Danny assured her. “I’ll keep a close eye on him.”  
  
“You are a good friend,” she said, patting his shoulder before sweeping out of the room.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve said, pointing over his shoulder with his left hand. He’d made no effort to extract his right hand from Danny’s, curling his fingers more tightly around the smaller ones.  
  
“What?” Danny asked.  
  
Steve shifted before pulling his phone out of his pocket. _She’s right you are good friend_  
  
“Thank you, Babe. It’s not anything you wouldn’t do for me.”  
  
_TAKE ME HOME  
  
_ “You heard Dr. Songe. You’ll be released in 20 minutes.”  
  
_m fine take em homw  
  
_ “I’m sure you are fine but you aren’t a member of the medical profession. Dr. Songe said 20 minutes so we’re waiting 20 minutes.”  
  
:-(  
  
“Very adult,” Danny laughed when he saw the emoticon.  
  
Steve reached over for Danny’s phone, going directly to his photos. He almost smiled when he got to the photo album, thumbing through the photos of Grace.  
  
“I put them on your phone, you goof,” Danny said, taking Steve’s phone from his lap.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve said, showing Danny the first of three pictures that hadn’t yet been transferred.  
  
“I only took them this weekend. Which you would have known if you’d answered your phone instead of pretending you didn’t have a toothache.”  
  
_Shutup_ Steve texted from Danny’s phone to his own.  
  
“Stop being cranky,” Danny said.  
  
_Im recovering no tcrankyh  
  
_ “I see,” Danny said. “I automatically have to put up with it because you had surgery.”  
  
_Yep_  
  
“You’re going to be insufferable, aren’t you?”  
  
_yep  
  
_ “Well at least you’re honest about it.”  
  
_Yep  
  
_ Danny could only laugh and shake his head. “I’m going to call Chin and Kono and let them know.”  
  
_Grace?  
  
_ “She’s still in school. I’ll call when she’s home.”  
  
Steve nodded, watching as Danny called the office. Danny relayed all the information to Chin and Kono, assuring them that Steve was fine. “Hold on a second,” he requested, frowning at the phone when it buzzed to indicate a text message. _Tell them come to dinnner mororw_ “Steve says to come to dinner tomorrow,” he told them.  
  
“Is he going to be up to it?” Chin asked.  
  
“Does it matter?” Kono answered. “It’s Steve. Even if he doesn’t eat, he needs to see us.”  
  
“Yeah,” Chin agreed. “All right. We’ll come unless you call and tell us not to.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny said. After a few more words, they hung up. “They’ll be at your house at 6:30 unless you don’t feel up to it.”  
  
Steve gave him a thumbs up, twisting to try and look over his shoulder.  
  
“What? What are you doing? Planning an unauthorized escape?”  
  
Steve’s frown confirmed that Danny had guessed correctly.  
  
“You are something special,” Danny said with a disbelieving shake of his head.  
  
Steve tried, unsuccessfully, to look innocent as he shrugged.  
  
“How are you doing?” Hannah asked as she bustled into the room. “Dr. Songe said you are making excellent progress.”  
  
Steve gave her a thumb’s up, pointing over his shoulder at the door and freedom.  
  
“He’s ready to leave,” Danny told her unnecessarily.  
  
“I can understand,” Hannah said as she pulled on a pair of gloves. “Let’s get some of this gauze out of your mouth and you can leave very shortly.”  
  
Steve nodded enthusiastically at that.  
  
“Do you want Detective Williams to stay?” Hannah asked, retrieving a small metal basin.  
  
Steve nodded again.  
  
“All right then,” she said. “I know your mouth is sore but open as wide as you comfortably can.”  
  
Steve did it, allowing her to reach in with forceps to gently pull out a roll of blood soaked gauze. Danny looked away. If it had been his blood, he could have handled it. Seeing that much of Steve’s blood out of his body was much harder.  
  
Danny looked down when Steve patted him on the chest, a concerned look on Steve’s face.  
  
“I’m okay,” Danny assured him and Hannah who had paused. She looked a little worried as well. “I’m not going to fall out. Or pass out.”  
  
“If you’re sure,” Hannah said, studying him.  
  
“Positive. We see worse every day on the job.”  
  
“But it isn’t his blood,” she said in understanding.  
  
“It is more often than I’d like,” Danny said.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve grunted in disagreement. Or possibly agreement. It was a little hard to translate, even for Danny.  
  
Sure Danny was all right, Hannah resumed gently pulling out the bloody gauze. Danny averted his eyes as much as possible while still keeping an eye to Steve to make sure he was okay.  
  
“There we go,” Hannah said, setting aside the basin. “How does that feel?”  
  
Steve experimented with carefully moving his mouth. “Bedder.”  
  
“Good,” Hannah said, removing and throwing away her gloves. She pulled a sheet of folded paper from her pocket to hand to Danny. “Aftercare instructions. Pretty straight forward.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said, putting them in his pocket.  
  
“If you aren’t feeling lightheaded, you are free to go,” she told Steve. “Stand up slowly. Don’t rush.” She and Danny helped lever him out of the chair, Danny keeping hold of his hand as he gained his feet. “How’s that?”  
  
“Bedder,” Steve said with a nod. He took a tentative step that turned into enough steps to take him to the far side of the room. He looked solid and in control.  
  
“Very good,” Hannah said. “Remember to call if you have any questions or concerns.”  
  
“We will,” Danny said. With a steadying hand at the small of Steve’s back, Danny led him out of the exam room and into the waiting area. “Still waiting on Myrtle?”  
  
“I am,” Mr. Hermann said. “I see you’ve recovered yours.”  
  
“We’re on the way home,” Danny agreed. “Hope you are soon.”  
  
“Me too,” Mr. Hermann said. “Here. Let me get the door.”  
  
Danny smiled his thanks as the older man pulled the door open, allowing Steve and Danny to enter the bright afternoon sun.  
  
“Ugh,” Steve grunted, holding his hand up to shield his eyes.  
  
“I know, Babe,” Danny said in sympathy as he helped Steve fit into the passenger seat. He opened the glove compartment, taking out a pair of dark sunglasses. “Here. These will help.”  
  
Steve slid them on, resting his head against the rest. “Fanks.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Danny said, entering the driver’s side. Danny pulled into the street, content to let Steve decide when he wanted to break the silence. Danny could have filled the car with conversation but with Steve having some trouble talking, it didn’t feel right.  
  
“We fid,” Steve said, staring out his window.  
  
“Fid?” Danny asked, glancing over at him.  
  
“Fid,” Steve repeated, interlacing his fingers to demonstrate how they slotted together.  
  
“Oh. We _fit_ ,” Danny said.  
  
“Uh huh.”  
  
“This realization just came to you?” Danny asked, a laugh in his voice.  
  
“Shuddup. ‘M recoverin’.”  
  
“Yes you are,” Danny agreed, the laughter still in his voice.  
  
“Shuddup,” Steve repeated. But there was a hint of a smile on his face.  
  
“Whatever you say, dear,” Danny said, patting Steve’s left arm. To Danny’s surprise, Steve entwined his fingers with Danny’s, not letting go. That was fine by Danny. He’d like to have more of them entwined together. And maybe that wasn’t so farfetched an idea as he had thought earlier in the day.  
  
They remained in easy silence in the short amount of time it took to arrive at Steve’s house. Danny rushed around the hood, glad Steve had sense enough to wait before trying to storm the front porch. “Here,” Danny said, extending his hand to help Steve stand.  
  
“Fanks,” Steve said, keeping his grip tight as they walked up to the house. Danny unlocked the door and punched in the code, leading Steve directly to the couch. Steve tried to half-heartedly veer toward the sunroom but Danny successfully stopped him.  
  
“You’re not going outside. Not yet. Antibiotics and the sun don’t mix. Plus you have a headache,” Danny reminded him before depositing him on the couch.  
  
“Wader?” Steve asked, squinting up at Danny, the sunglasses discarded on the end table.  
  
“Coming right up,” Danny agreed, going into the pantry for a bottle that hadn’t been refrigerated, knowing from personal experience it would be easier for Steve to drink it at room temperature. “Here you go,” Danny said when he returned with it. It was with some relief that he found Steve laying down, his feet still on the floor.  
  
Steve took the bottle and allowed Danny to remove his flip-flops and put his feet up with the rest of him. Danny covered him with a light blanket before sitting on the coffee table to study him.  
  
“Whad?” Steve asked.  
  
“Nothing,” Danny said. “You want to watch a movie as you recover?”  
  
“ _Die Haad_ ,” Steve requested.  
  
“Of course,” Danny agreed with a laugh. “Yippee ki yay.”  
  
“Mudder fudder,” Steve said.  
  
“Mudder fudder,” Danny repeated as he started the familiar movie. “I’m going to go…”  
  
Anything he was going to say was cut off by Steve strong-arming him onto the couch. “Ay down.”  
  
“You’ll rest better by yourself,” Danny said.  
  
“Nuh uh,” Steve said, pulling Danny down so the top half of him was on the couch. “Ay down.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said, kicking off his shoes and pulling his legs up. “That better?”  
  
“Bedder,” Steve said, his chin resting on the top of Danny’s head. “We fid.”  
  
“Yes, we do fid,” Danny had to agree, giving into the inevitable and relaxing back against Steve’s warm, hard, delicious body.


	2. Nod a Dog

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny helps Steve recover from dental surgery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally thought this would be a quick one-shot to fulfill my need for some h/c Steve. Then I realized I had to break it into two chapters because it was getting too long. Now my muses don't want to let it go so it looks like it will be three chapters. I'd say I'd post the last chapter soon but that rarely works out like I hope. So I will say I'll post chapter 3 as soon as my muses allow it.

About the time Hans Gruber fell from the top of Nakatomi Plaza, sleep left Steve. The first sensation to return was the pain in his mouth that circled up through his eyes and ears and on to pound in his head. The second much more pleasant sensation was that of Danny still laying snug up against him, sound asleep in their tight confines. Steve could only see his profile but that was enough to make him want to smile. The pain prevented it.  
  
He carefully reached over to the end table where Danny had left his pills. He picked up the smaller container, reasoning that the antibiotics would be in the larger one. Even squinting against his headache, he couldn’t read what was written on the label. How hard was this? If it was the pain reliever, it should be written so that someone, you know, _in pain_ could read what it said.  
  
“Don’t shatter the plastic trying to get to the pills,” Danny said, squirming to lay on his back.  
  
“I wasn’,” Steve said, still squinting at the label. “I can’ read dis.”  
  
“Okay,” Danny said, reaching up for it and reading the instructions aloud. “’Take with food every 4 to 6 hours as needed for pain.’”  
  
“Food,” Steve sighed. The prospect of eating made his stomach roil. But the idea of not containing his pain was even more nauseating.  
  
“I know your mouth hurts, Babe, but you have to eat. You aren’t supposed to take these on an empty stomach. Do you want oatmeal or yogurt or pudding? No, nothing cold. Oatmeal is probably your best bet even though I know you don’t really like it that much. I’ll make you cooked oatmeal so you don’t have to eat Grace’s artificially colored and flavored variety. That will help and then you can…”  
  
Steve put one finger over Danny’s lips. Under usual circumstances he could listen to Danny ramble for days. But with a blinding headache and a mouth that was threatening to mutiny, he just wanted to be able to take the damn pills. “Oadmeal.”  
  
“Right. Sorry,” Danny said, easing off the couch. “No, no,” he said when Steve tried to stand. “You stay.”  
  
“Nod a dog,” Steve protested because that was what was expected.  
  
“As I am well aware. But I am capable of making you oadmeal right by myself.”  
  
Steve nodded, picking up the remote and turning on _Die Hard 3_. He didn’t really like #2. Even though none of the _Die Hard_ movies were realistic, the second one seemed especially…stupid. Danny didn’t like it either so he wouldn’t mind skipping it. And #3 had Samuel L. Jackson, which was total win.  
  
“Here,” Danny said, startling Steve. He looked up at Danny to find him holding a cup of tea. “It’s warm, not hot.”  
  
Steve nodded, accepting the cup. It was on the right side of lukewarm and smelled wonderful. He thought it might be orange blossom tea but wasn’t sure. It didn’t matter because it was delicious, with a splash of honey. He knew Danny had put the honey in it to provide him some energy capital. He wasn’t sure the honey would help but the thought, as much as the tea, warmed him inside.  
  
A small part of him felt guilty about imposing on Danny. But the larger part insisted that it wasn’t an imposition to accept help from your best friend. Steve knew he couldn’t have had his wisdom teeth extracted without Danny’s assistance. Just the thought of the procedure he’d undergone made him shiver. _Ugh_ was all he could think.  
  
Standing carefully to check that his balance wasn’t being undermined by the pain, he wandered into the kitchen and leaned against one of the kitchen cabinets.  
  
“I told you to stay put,” Danny said as he stirred the contents of a pot on the stove.  
  
“Nod a dog.”  
  
“I never thought you were, except your Smooth Dog history, which I’m sure was entirely ironic on the part of those who named you that,” Danny said, turning to give Steve a sweeping look. The touch of his eyes was nearly tangible, which made Steve shiver in delight. “What was that? Do you have a fever?”  
  
Steve shook his head but that didn’t stop Danny from putting his hand on Steve’s forehead. Steve had known Danny would check for a fever and thought he ought to protest, for form’s sake if nothing else. But he liked when Danny touched him, for whatever reason he chose. This time, however, Danny’s hand was already warm from making the oatmeal. He wouldn’t be able to determine whether or not Steve had a fever.  
  
“You feel warm,” Danny said with a frown and his fists on his hips.  
  
“Your hand’s hod,” Steve said.  
  
“Oh. I guess it is. All right,” Danny said, reaching up in the cabinet for the thermometer he kept there in case he needed it for Grace. “Here.”  
  
“Nuh-uh,” Steve said, keeping his lips tightly closed. He honestly couldn’t abide the idea of having it in his mouth. “Hurds.”  
  
“Babe,” Danny said with an exasperated sigh.  
  
Steve carefully shook his head. It wasn’t going to happen.  
  
“All right,” Danny conceded. “Do you feel feverish?”  
  
“Nuh-uh,” Steve said, sipping the tea and trying to decide if the warm liquid was making his mouth hurt more or less.  
  
“Would you tell me if you did feel hot?” Danny asked returning his focus to the pot on the stove.  
  
“Uh huh.”  
  
“You are such a liar. And you aren’t very good at it,” Danny said.  
  
“No I’m nod. And yes I am.”  
  
“What?” Danny said, looking over his shoulder.  
  
“I’m nod a liar. And if I did, I’d be a good one,” Steve protested, wishing those words didn’t hurt quite so much.  
  
“Not a liar,” Danny said. “That in itself is a lie.”  
  
“Sdop,” Steve said, showing Danny his empty cup. “More?”  
  
“Of course. Go watch your movie and I’ll bring it out.”  
  
“Righ,” Steve said, returning to the living room to wait for Danny. He lay back on the couch mostly because it was easier. And he liked to tell himself that it lessened his headache. He doubted that was true. Maybe concentrating on the movie would diminish the pain. It was unfortunate that it started so loudly. That wasn’t helpful at all.  
  
“What?” Danny asked as he entered with the refilled cup.  
  
Steve was half off the couch, trying to get the remote. He figured he looked ridiculous, his left hand on the floor as he stretched out his right but still couldn’t reach the remote. “Doo loud,” he said, pointing at the TV.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, turning the sound down a little. “Is that better?”  
  
“Bedder,” Steve agreed. He returned to laying on the couch, accepting the tea. “Dang you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Danny said. “I’ll be right back with the oadmeal.”  
  
“Hurry,” Steve said because he knew it would make Danny laugh.  
  
It wasn’t very long before Danny returned with Steve’s bowl of oatmeal and a plate with a sandwich. Steve scooted up so he was sitting more than lounging, taking the bowl and several extra napkins. “In case you drool.”  
  
“I don’ drool,” Steve protested, accepting the napkins even so.  
  
“I have been witness to it,” Danny assured him. Steve just shrugged, looking down at the oatmeal as he moved the spoon listlessly around the bowl. “Babe. Don’t play with it. Eat it.”  
  
Steve nodded resolutely, taking an experimental spoonful. The taste was off. He assumed it was because of the residual medicinal interventions Dr. Songe had used. He took another tiny bite, putting the spoon back in the bowl.  
  
“You need to eat,” Danny said, watching him. Steve thought he sounded disappointed. But that hardly made sense. No doubt he was worried.  
  
“It dasdes unny,” Steve said, sorry he was whining. But he didn’t like the flavor or the texture, and the pain in his mouth seemed to be ramping up. He couldn’t eat the oatmeal which meant he couldn’t take the pills.  
  
“It tastes funny?” Danny asked in confirmation.  
  
Steve nodded.  
  
“Is there something else you would eat?” Danny asked in coaxing. Steve thought about protesting his tone. It was one he usually reserved for Grace on the rare occasions she was being contrary. But he knew Danny was worried, not annoyed.  
  
“I don’ know,” Steve said, feeling exasperated. The pain was making it hard to think. “Wha if I don’ ead?”  
  
“Well,” Danny said, considering it. “Let’s Google that and see.”  
  
Steve leaned closer as Danny took out his phone, enjoying the warmth seeping from Danny’s body.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, angling the phone so Steve could see. “Long term it could cause constipation and diarrhea.”  
  
“Bof?” Steve asked, trying to better see the screen. Danny brought it closer, studying the tiny words.  
  
“Oh. Yeah, that’s _or_ , not _and._ It looks like you’re safe to take it now. Then maybe you’ll feel like eating.”  
  
That sounded like an excellent compromise and he nodded, holding his hand out for a pill. Danny gave him two.  
  
“Do?” Steve asked.  
  
“The label says you can have two to start. Then just one after that,” Danny said, showing him the message.  
  
Steve nodded. He thought that made sense. Try and contain the pain so it didn’t become unmanageable. But he thought they had already lost that battle. He washed down the two pills with his tea, finding it soothing to his throat even if it did hurt to swallow. “Ead,” he said to Danny before stretching back out on the couch.  
  
“I am,” Danny assured him. He rearranged the light blanket so it covered more of Steve. “Decided to skip the second movie, I see.”  
  
“It’s sdupid,” Steve said to Danny’s nods.  
  
“And the others are cinematic masterpieces,” Danny laughed.  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve agreed, handing Danny his nearly empty cup. He watched with heavy lidded eyes as Danny put it on the end table before eating from his sandwich. “Wha’ you eadin’?”  
  
“Ham and cheese. I need to go to the grocery store. Your provisions are pathetic,” Danny scolded in amusement.  
  
Steve shrugged, scrunching further down into the couch. “Didn’ feel li’ shoppin’.”  
  
“I know, Babe,” Danny said, a hand on Steve’s arm. “Because you wouldn’t admit you were in pain and needed help.”  
  
Steve grunted, deciding to ignore Danny’s words. Of course he should have told Danny what was going on on Friday as soon as the pain had started. It would have probably been easier altogether if he’d gone to the dentist right away. But the idea was really and truly.... Well, what was done was done. Now he wouldn’t have to worry about any more impacted wisdom teeth.  
  
It was easy to ignore Danny’s words as he continued his one-sided conversation because there were so many of them. Ignoring Danny was much, much harder. And Steve found he didn’t want to ignore Danny’s presence. It was grounding and reassuring. Danny was a constant in his life. He was one of the few people Steve knew he could depend on, no matter the circumstances. No lies, no subterfuge. With Danny what you saw was always what you got.  
  
In his state of half-sleep, Steve could admit to himself that there had been so many uncertainties in his life that having Danny as a friend was a stabilizing influence. Steve knew he could be impulsive at times, his actions preceding his thinking. Danny was a counterweight that helped him keep his balance.  
  
What Steve really wanted was for Danny to be more than the best friend and best partner he could have ever hoped to find. He wanted Danny to be… _his_. Was that a possibility? Steve wasn’t sure, and didn’t know if he was willing to sacrifice what he had in order to achieve what he wanted.  
  
Maybe the pain was still short-circuiting his brain. His thoughts seemed to chase after each other in a dizzying whirlwind. If the pain pills hadn’t already started to lay their claim, he’d ask Danny to help him sort it all out. He’d try again to make sense of it all when he woke up.  
  
~0~  
  
When he did wake up, the house had the quiet of twilight, the sun a warm glow barely illuminating the living room. The TV had been turned off and Steve was alone. On the coffee table right where he’d be sure to see it was a note. _Gone to the grocery store. Be back soon. –D_  
  
There was no time on the note so Steve didn’t know when _soon_ would be. He could text Danny but it wasn’t particularly important.  
  
As he lay on the couch, contemplating Danny and twilight and the ceiling that he discovered badly needed a fresh coat of paint, he realized that the discomfort in his mouth had receded to a dull ache, not the sharp, stabbing, all encompassing pain that had refused to be ignored. It was a relief not to wonder if he could have his mouth amputated to rid himself of the agony it had been causing.  
  
Deciding it was safe to leave the nest Danny had built around him with blankets and extra pillows, Steve carefully made his way to the bathroom. He chanced a look in the mirror before deciding that was a bad idea. He didn’t need to see his chipmunk cheeks or the raccoon circles around his eyes. Were there other animal comparisons he could use? He decided that was something else he would leave to Danny and wandered into the kitchen. The tea kettle was still on the stove so he turned on the burner underneath. His cup had a fresh teabag in it, the honey sitting next to it. Danny knew he would wake up thirsty and outside of being there to make the tea for him, made sure he’d be able to have some with a minimum of trouble.  
  
That made Steve smile, which made his mouth twinge in pain. He really did smile when he heard the front door open, returning to the living room to watch Danny enter with two arms full of bags.  
  
“Hey,” Steve said, advancing closer to take a couple of the bags.  
  
“Hey yourself,” Danny said, flipping on a light in order to study Steve. “You look better.”  
  
“I feel bedder,” Steve agreed, leading him into the kitchen. The kettle was whistling so Steve poured the hot water into the cup after setting down the bags.  
  
“How long have you been up?” Danny asked as he began to put away the groceries.  
  
“Couple minudes is all,” Steve said.  
  
“I hope you can sleep tonight,” Danny said, putting an ice cube in Steve’s cup.  
  
“I will. Pills made me.”  
  
“There is that,” Danny agreed. He leaned against one of the cabinets, watching Steve silently.  
  
“Wha’?” Steve asked when he felt Danny’s eyes on him. The way Danny’s folded arms pulled his shirt ever-so-slightly apart was almost more than Steve could bear to look at.  
  
“You talk in your sleep,” Danny said, a secret half-smile on his face.  
  
“Nuh-huh,” Steve said, stirring the honey into his tea with great concentration.  
  
“Yep,” Danny said. “You had an entire conversation with me. It was extremely… enlightening.”  
  
Steve continued to study his tea. He knew by Danny’s tone that he was amused by whatever Steve had said. That was an excellent sign. But Steve still hesitated to ask Danny for a recount, a request he knew Danny was waiting on. “Oday,” Steve finally said, looking away from his tea to meet Danny’s gaze. “Dell me.”  
  
“You sure?” Danny teased, taking a sideways step so his right side was pressed up close to Steve’s left.  
  
“Huh?” Steve said. Having Danny so close was making it hard to concentrate on what Danny was saying. He only wanted to think about Danny.  
  
“You were trying to determine what would happen if you told me how you really felt about me,” Danny said, smiling sideways up at Steve.  
  
“Oh,” Steve said, the color creeping up his cheeks not caused by the warm tea he was trying to hide behind. “Wha’d you say?”  
  
“Your version of me said I am a sure thing,” Danny informed him, lightness in his voice that illuminated Steve’s soul.  
  
“Is my you righ’?” Steve asked. But he was pretty sure he already knew the answer. It was in Danny’s eyes and his curving mouth and his hand on Steve’s arm.  
  
“What do you think, Dopey?”  
  
“Now I’m a dwarf?” Steve asked, trying to hide his laughter.  
  
“No, you are now and always have been my goof,” Danny said.  
  
“Your goof,” Steve repeated, as much of a smile as he could manage taking over his face.  
  
“Mine,” Danny said with a definitive nod.  
  
“Wha’s daad mean?” Steve asked as though he didn’t know.  
  
“That once you can talk and smile and laugh, you’ll be able to kiss and be kissed,” Danny said, smiling up at him.  
  
“You,” Steve said with a sigh.  
  
“Is that a question?”  
  
“Nuh-huh. I wanna kiss you,” Steve confirmed, wishing he could do it right that second.  
  
“So you said when you were asleep,” Danny teased.  
  
“Bu’ you knew.”  
  
“I hoped. I wanted. But I didn’t want to scare you,” Danny said, much more seriously this time.  
  
“Nod afraid,” Steve assured him. “Nod of you.”  
  
“There is nothing you are afraid of, except the dentist,” Danny said, the amused tone back in his voice.  
  
“Nod drue,” Steve said, reaching out and pulling Danny as close to him as he could manage. He rested his chin carefully on Danny’s head, content and frustrated in equal measures. “I dold you we fid.”  
  
“Yes we do fid,” Danny agreed, holding Steve tight. “But right now I need to fid the rest of the groceries into the fridge.”  
  
“How romandic,” Steve said, letting him go but keeping his eyes on him as he moved away.  
  
“Buying you pudding is romantic,” Danny protested with a laugh.  
  
“Puddin’?” Steve asked, approaching the refrigerator to peer inside. “Buddersdodch.”  
  
“Yes, I got you butterscotch pudding. What made you think I wouldn’t?” Danny asked as he handed Steve a cup of it.  
  
“I didn’ know you knew,” Steve said, opening it to dive in with a spoon. He’d dive in bodily if he thought he had any chance of fitting.  
  
“Babe,” Danny said with a shake of his head.  
  
“Oday,” Steve said. “Dang you.”  
  
“You’re welcome,” Danny said. Steve could feel him watching as he ate the pudding much too quickly. He tried to be delicate about it but it was so good and he was so hungry, he realized, that one cup was not going to be nearly enough. “I see your appetite is back,” Danny said as he handed Steve a second cup.  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve agreed, happy to accept the second cup.  
  
“Did you take your pills?” Danny asked as he puttered around the kitchen.  
  
“Nuh-huh. No dime,” Steve said, licking his spoon.  
  
“All right,” Danny said, going to the living room to collect the two bottles. “Here.”  
  
Steve accepted the two pills with no complaints, washing them down with the warm tea. He was trying to decide if he wanted a third cup of pudding but knew that was too much artificial flavoring and refined sugar for one go.  
  
“I’ll make you chicken soup tomorrow,” Danny said. “Is there anything else you want right now?”  
  
“You,” Steve said, making Danny laugh.  
  
“You have me,” Danny assured him. “Or will as soon as there’s something _interesting_ you can do with me.”  
  
Steve nodded. Nothing else seemed necessary.  
  
“Do want something else to eat? I got some bananas that are pretty ripe.”  
  
Steve decided that bananas held no appeal to him. The pudding and the tea helped fill up the cavern that his stomach had become. And he thought he should go upstairs while he still could. Even taking one pill would knock him on his ass pretty thoroughly and Danny would not be able to get him up the steps.  
  
“Babe?” Danny said, touching his chest to make sure he had his attention.  
  
“Huh?” Steve asked, looking down at him.  
  
“Did you want a banana?”  
  
“Didn’ I dell you no?” Steve asked, thinking he had said it out loud. He was further gone than he thought.  
  
“No, Babe. You may have thought it but you didn’t say it,” Danny told him.  
  
“I bedder go up do bed,” Steve told him although he was pretty sure Danny already knew.  
  
“I think that’s a very good idea,” Danny agreed, leading him out of the kitchen and up the stairs. “You can’t brush your teeth.”  
  
“I know,” Steve said as he sat on the edge of his bed. “Will you sday?”  
  
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Danny said, pulling down the covers so Steve could crawl into bed. But first he had to take off his jeans and that seemed like so much trouble. He lay back on top of the bed, giving up the fight to keep his eyes open any longer. “You can’t sleep like that.”  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve protested, trying to swat Danny’s words out of the air.  
  
“Here,” Danny said.  
  
Steve felt Danny’s fingers dip into the waistband of his jeans and had to stop him from continuing. “Daad’s nod a good idea,” Steve said reluctantly. He took a deep breath, trying to will away his reaction to having Danny unbutton his jeans.  
  
“Oh,” Danny laughed, sitting down next to him. “I guess I should say I’m sorry.”  
  
“No,” Steve said, looking up at him. “Id’s whad I wan’.”  
  
“But what we can’t have tonight.”  
  
“Our diming suds.”  
  
“Sucks?” Danny teased.  
  
“Sdop,” Steve protested, his left arm over his eyes. He wanted Danny to stay but knew he had to sleep on the couch. Nothing good would come of Danny being with him.  
  
“Take off your jeans, Babe. And I’ll go down,” Danny said. “Downstairs,” he amended quickly.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed, carefully standing. He thought the pill was working awfully fast but maybe the first two weren’t completely out of his system. That could explain why his floor seemed to be at a disconcerting angle. “Da room’s dilding.”  
  
“The room’s tilting?” Danny asked, standing to provide a steadying hand.  
  
“Uh huh.”  
  
“All right. Sit back down and I’ll get your jeans off,” Danny said, kneeling in front of him when he was sitting back on the edge of the bed. “You didn’t take a pain pill while I was gone, right?”  
  
“Nuh-huh,” Steve said, staring up at the swaying ceiling. “Room’s sdill dilding.”  
  
“Get in bed the right way,” Danny said, helping him get his legs up on the bed.  
  
Laying with his head on his pillow seemed to help a little but there was still way too much motion going on around him. “Dissy,” Steve complained, squinting up at Danny.  
  
“I figured that out,” Danny said, studying his phone. “It’s not listed as one of the known side effects. I’m going to call Dr. Songe.”  
  
“No,” Steve said. “It’s oday.”  
  
“I don’t believe you,” Danny said, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Are you nauseous?”  
  
“Nuh-huh,” Steve said honestly. The tea and pudding were happily coexisting in his stomach. It was only the ceiling that seemed to be tilted. Closing his eyes helped so he didn’t bother to open them. “Id’s bedder now.”  
  
“You are such a liar,” Danny said with affectionate exasperation.  
  
“Sdop,” Steve said. “Wif my eyes shud, id’s oday.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said. Steve could feel the bed shift, reluctant to let Danny leave but knowing it was for the best. He was surprised when the other side of the bed dipped, Danny weighing it down. “I’m not sleeping here. I’m just going to make sure you’re okay before I go downstairs.”  
  
“Oday,” Steve agreed. “Fang you.”  
  
“Go to sleep,” Danny said. Steve smiled when he felt a light kiss pressed to his forehead.


	3. It's Not Vertigo

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve continues to recover until trouble finds them, as is inevitable with them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly, I thought this would be the last chapter. Well - I originally thought the story would be only one chapter. _Ha!_ said my muses. _Keep writing,_ they said.
> 
> I do believe chapter 4 will be the end of the story, once I write it. Hope you enjoy chapter 3, which ought to be the last of the story even though it's not.

Steve wondered why his bed felt so different, strange in a good way. He carefully turned onto his side, smiling to see Danny sleeping next to him. He thought he remembered Danny saying he was going downstairs. In fact, it was the last thing he remembered from the night before. From the amount of sunshine streaming in the windows, he’d slept much later than usual which he knew was to be expected.  
  
“Stop staring at me,” Danny complained into his pillow, not bothering to open his eyes.  
  
“Morning,” Steve said, relieved that it barely hurt to talk. His mouth was still sore but nothing like it had been yesterday. “Not that I mind, but why are you here?”  
  
“You refused to let me leave,” Danny said, rolling onto his back and scooting up the bed. Steve followed his example, leaning pressed tight to Danny as they sat against the headboard.  
  
“I held you prisoner?” Steve asked with a smile. It was still a little strained but it was more of a smile than he’d managed yesterday.  
  
“More or less,” Danny said, studying him with a familiar, fond expression. “I tried twice to leave and you wouldn’t let go of my arm.”  
  
“Oh,” Steve said, reaching for Danny’s right arm. “Did I hurt you?”  
  
“No, Babe. You were just adamant that I had to stay,” Danny assured him. “You’re doing better today, huh?”  
  
“I am,” Steve agreed.   
  
“Good,” Danny said. “You hungry?”  
  
“Yep,” Steve said, getting out of bed while Danny did the same. Danny had shed his jeans but was still in the same tee shirt he’d worn the day before. “I’m going to take a quick shower.”  
  
“That’s the only kind you ever take,” Danny pointed out. “I’m going to wait in the bathroom. I’m glad you’re better but I’m not taking any chances. The vertigo could come back.”  
  
“That was from the pills,” Steve assured him, entering the bathroom with Danny right behind. Steve carefully rinsed his mouth with watered down mouthwash, wishing he could rid himself completely of morning breath but knew that would have to wait.  
  
“All right,” Danny said as Steve started the shower. “Are you feeling up to pancakes? Or do you want oatmeal?” Danny asked as he brushed his teeth, keeping his eyes focused on the sink, not the mirror that showed off Steve’s naked body to perfection. Nope – not the time for that…or those thoughts.  
  
“I better have oatmeal,” Steve decided as he stepped under the hot water. “I really am okay if you want to go down for coffee.”  
  
“I have nothing more important to do than make sure you don’t slip and crack your very attractive but very hard head.”  
  
“My head’s attractive?” Steve asked, peering around the curtain.  
  
“Shut up. You know exactly what I mean.”  
  
Steve shrugged before disappearing back behind the curtain. In just a couple of more minutes, he turned off the water and reached out for his towel. “I’ll go make coffee while you shower.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny agreed, stopping Steve before he left the bathroom, the wet towel casually draped around his waist. “Less chipmunk cheeks going on.”  
  
“And not so much raccoon eyes,” Steve said.  
  
“I always said you are an animal,” Danny said with an eye-crinkling smile.  
  
“Your animal,” Steve confirmed, leaving the tight confines of the bathroom before his body started something he couldn’t finish.  
  
Steve was carefully sipping warm, not hot, coffee and contemplating pancakes versus oatmeal when Danny came into the kitchen. His hair was perfectly coiffed, his tee shirt looking brand new. His pants, however, were Steve’s. Even if the NAVY down the leg hadn’t been a give away, the fact that the elastic around the ankle was the only thing preventing Danny from tripping would have been. “I thought you brought clothes.”  
  
“I thought I did too,” Danny said, reaching for a cup to fill with steaming coffee. “I apparently packed everything but jeans.”  
  
“Huh,” Steve said. “We can run over to your apartment.”  
  
Danny shrugged. “We got no place to be. We aren’t doing anything more strenuous than changing TV channels today.”  
  
Steve sighed, looking wistfully out the kitchen window at the ocean.  
  
“You know you can’t swim yet,” Danny said. “By this weekend you can.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed.   
  
“Did you take your pills?”   
  
Steve ignored him, drinking more coffee.  
  
“Of course not,” Danny said, reaching over for the bottles that had ended up in the kitchen. “Here.”  
  
“The pain pill makes me dizzy,” Steve said, picking up the antibiotic.  
  
“No, it makes you sleepy. The vertigo is from fighting to stay awake,” Danny told him, extending his hand with the pain pill on the palm. “If you don’t take it, you’re going to be very sorry very soon.”  
  
Steve frowned as much as he could before finally accepting it. “You are very bossy.”  
  
Danny shrugged, reaching up in the cabinet for the oatmeal. “I can be.”  
  
“In bed?” Steve asked, wiggling his eyebrows in a supposedly suggestive way.  
  
“You’ll have to wait to find out, won’t you?” Danny said with a look over his shoulder. “Go lay on the couch while I make your oatmeal.”  
  
“Right,” Steve said reluctantly. “You want to finish the _Die Hard_ marathon?”  
  
“Makes no difference. You’ll be asleep before the opening credits are done.”  
  
“Maybe not,” Steve said, leaving the kitchen to the warming sounds of Danny’s laughter.  
  
~0~  
  
The day went much as Danny predicted – Steve slept most of it, waking up enough to eat before falling right back to sleep. The pills continued to work so that the pain did not overwhelm Steve. Danny called the Five-0 office on one of the occasions Steve woke up, confirming with Kono and Chin that they were still invited to dinner and Steve was feeling much better.  
  
“Is anything going on?” Danny asked because he knew Steve had to know.  
  
“Nothing,” Chin said, sounding more relieved than bored. “I’m sure all hell will break loose when you two get back.”  
  
“No doubt,” Danny said. “We’ll be in tomorrow. Not sure Steve will make it the whole day but he really is feeling better.”  
  
“That’s excellent news,” Kono said.  
  
They chatted for a few more minutes before hanging up, Chin and Kono promising to stop by Danny’s apartment for jeans before coming to Steve’s at 6:30.  
  
“I’m going to make the chicken soup,” Danny said as Steve’s eyes began to droop again.  
  
“Right,” Steve agreed, sound asleep before Danny had left the living room.  
  
~o0o~  
  
“Brah,” Kono said when Steve had the door opened. She was shaking her head, studying him intently. “You look like a squirrel gathering nuts for the winter.”  
  
“That’s Commander Squirrel to you,” he told her, making her laugh.  
  
“This is way better than yesterday,” Danny assured her and Chin from the living room.  
  
“Better, huh?” Chin said, studying Steve like Kono had.  
  
“Much better,” Steve said. “Although I can’t promise how long I’ll stay awake.”  
  
“Pain pills?” Chin asked as they all went into the kitchen.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said. “They work great, I guess. But since I can’t stay awake once I take them, I’m not entirely sure.”  
  
“We called Dr. Songe and got a different prescription for tomorrow,” Danny said as he distributed beer to Chin and Kono.   
  
“That makes sense,” Kono said. “So what’s for dinner? Steak and corn on the cob?”  
  
“You are evil,” Steve told her with a menacing squint.  
  
She shoulder bumped him, laughing with the guys.  
  
“Steve is having Williams special chicken soup. We are having shrimp tempura,” Danny told them.  
  
“You cooked it?” Chin asked.  
  
“I haven’t yet. But I’m about to,” Danny said, showing them the batter and the skewers.  
  
“Oooh,” Kono said. “He really is a catch, Boss.”  
  
“What?” Steve asked, looking from Kono to Danny.  
  
“Oh _please_ ,” Kono said. “You two are the worst.”  
  
“The worst what?” Steve asked in confusion.  
  
“At keeping a secret,” Kono said.  
  
“What secret?” Steve asked.  
  
Kono shook her head at him. “We have eyes. We can see things have changed.”  
  
Steve glanced over at Chin who was calmly drinking his beer. Anything he thought of Kono’s pronouncement was carefully hidden.  
  
“Babe,” Danny said, standing pressed close to Steve. “Of course they know.”  
  
“We haven’t _done_ anything,” Steve protested.  
  
“You don’t have to,” Chin said. “You couldn’t be more in love.”  
  
“What?” Steve said, trying to catch up.  
  
“It’s all over you, like sand from the beach,” Kono said with a sweep of her hand. “Oozing. Dripping. Obvious.”  
  
Steve looked over at Danny for help, not pleased to find him laughing. “We haven’t _done_ anything.”  
  
“Only because we can’t,” Danny confirmed for the cousins. “I guess it is on us like stink on a pig.”  
  
“Yep,” Kono agreed.  
  
“What she said,” Chin said. And that was that.   
  
Steve and Danny hadn’t discussed telling Chin and Kono but they knew they had nothing to worry about with their _ohana._ True to form, the time they spent over dinner was filled with laughter and love freely given and as freely received. Steve had even less to say than usual but they all understood. He was processing the fact that the cousins had known about the change in their status as soon as they’d entered the house. It warmed him inside, almost as much as the touch of Danny’s hand, or his eyes.   
  
“Come on, big guy,” Danny said when dinner had been over for about an hour. “You’re losing the fight.”  
  
“Sorry,” Steve said, carefully standing, his apology for Chin and Kono. They waved away his words, wishing him a good night’s sleep. “Go back down,” Steve said when Danny had him safe in bed and he’d swallowed both pills.  
  
“I’ll go down for a little while. Will you sleep without me?” Danny asked.  
  
“Not like I have a lot of choice,” Steve reminded him. “Chin and Kono are the best.”  
  
“Yes they are,” Danny agreed, kissing his forehead. “Go to sleep, Babe. I’ll be back in about an hour.”  
  
“Huh,” Steve grunted.  
  
~0~  
  
“Babe,” Danny was saying the next time Steve surfaced.  
  
“Yeah?” Steve said in a rough voice. With the amount of light leaking around his eyelids, he guessed it was morning. But he didn’t feel like he’d slept at all.   
  
“It’s after 9:00. I was getting worried,” Danny said, a warm hand on Steve’s bare shoulder.   
  
“Oh,” Steve said, rolling onto his back and squinting at Danny. He was wearing a white tee shirt and cut-off jean shorts, looking far more awake than Steve felt.  
  
“Bad headache, huh?” Danny asked unnecessarily.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “You should have woken me earlier.”  
  
“You barely slept. I don’t know if you were fighting the pain or the pills or ghosts but you were all over the place last night.”  
  
“That’s why I feel like I haven’t slept,” Steve said.  
  
“Except for the headache, how are you? Does your mouth hurt?”  
  
“My mouth is fine,” Steve decided, shifting his jaw with only minor twinges of pain. “My head is pounding.”  
  
“I called Dr. Songe. She’d like to see you, just to make sure everything’s okay.”  
  
Steve shook his head at that. “I don’t need to go see her. It’s just a rebound headache. I’ll take a pain pill and then we’ll go for a run. That will help shake some of it off.”  
  
“We aren’t going for a run, knucklehead. You are whiter than your very fine sheets. Your eyes are bloodshot and your pulse is way too fast, especially for you.”  
  
“You’re being dramatic,” Steve said, throwing back the covers. He stood up only to land on his butt on the bed when his legs didn’t choose to support him.  
  
“Dramatic, huh?” Danny said, backing off the bed to come to Steve’s side. Steve was frowning at the floor as if it had betrayed him, trying again to stand. “Easy,” Danny said, helping him to his feet. Steve swayed against Danny but remained upright.  
  
“Crap,” Steve said, wobbling over to the bathroom.  
  
“I know, Babe. Can we please go see Dr. Songe?”  
  
“No,” Steve said adamantly as he relieved himself. “It’s the pain pills messing with my head.”  
  
“You can’t go without them yet. And you can’t keep taking them with the way you are reacting.”  
  
“You asked her office to call in a different prescription, right?”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “I’ll run get it. I hope it stops the pain and the vertigo.”  
  
“It’s not really vertigo,” Steve said, sitting on the toilet lid which admittedly didn’t help his cause in convincing Danny that his head wasn’t spinning.  
  
“Right,” Danny said. “Get back in bed and I’ll go get the prescription.”  
  
Steve sighed, hating feeling like this, all woozy and discombobulated. What he really wanted was to go for a swim, sweat out the medicine so it didn’t mess with his head any longer.  
  
“Come on, big guy,” Danny said, hoisting him up to help him back over to the bed where he thought Steve ought to remain the entire day. Convincing him of that would be a whole battle he wasn’t sure he’d win.  
  
“I’ll come with,” Steve said, looking up at Danny when he was sitting on the bed.  
  
“I won’t be gone more than fifteen minutes,” Danny assured him. So much for getting him back into bed.  
  
“I know. But….”  
  
“You’re bored,” Danny confirmed.  
  
“A little. And being in the car will help the vertigo,” Steve said.  
  
“The vertigo you are _not_ suffering from,” Danny said, hands on his hips as he looked down at Steve who was avoiding anything close to eye contact.  
  
“Well….” Steve finally said with a shrug.  
  
“All right,” Danny said. “I know how hard it is for you to be housebound.” He got Steve a pair of cargo shorts and a clean, somewhat ragged tee shirt, keeping a close eye on him as he dressed himself with a minimum of swaying.  
  
“You called Kono and Chin, right?”  
  
“Of course. They understand. They said to call if we need anything,” Danny said as he got a pair of flip flops out of Steve’s closet.  
  
“Did they ask inappropriate questions about what we may or may not have done after they left?”  
  
“Kono tried but Chin stopped her. Reminded her it’s not their business and you were in no shape to do anything but sleep,” Danny said.  
  
“Yeah. But soon, we won’t be just _sleeping_ together,” Steve said with as suggestive a leer as he could manage.  
  
“Stop,” Danny said, shaking his head. “After wrestling your giraffe arms and legs last night, I’m not sure having sex with you is such a good idea.”  
  
“Giraffes don’t have arms. Anyway, you’re looking forward to the adult kind of wrestling as much as I am,” Steve said with a goofy smile which made Danny laugh.  
  
“Maybe,” Danny said as he went down the steps with Steve, keeping a cautious eye on him for signs of tripping. “You want oatmeal before we go?”  
  
“No. We’ll pick up some malsadas from the bakery down from the drug store.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny said. They made their way to the Camaro with a minimum of fuss, Steve obediently going to the passenger side without being prompted. He’d brought the sunglasses with him, slipping them on to minimize the amount of sunshine that could pierce his head like shards of glass.  
  
Steve did feel better with the motion of the car although he wasn’t about to admit that to Danny. “When you’ve been at sea for a while, you can get landsick when you disembark,” Steve said conversationally.  
  
“Gross,” Danny said, shuddering at the thought of it.  
  
“The first time it happened to me, I thought I was going to die. You can’t take motion sickness medicine because it doesn’t work on land. Then I got on a plane and it disappeared.”  
  
“How long before you got on the plane?” Danny asked.  
  
“Eight nauseous disorienting hours. Being in a transport helped a little but it was still gruesome. The plane finally stopped it.”  
  
“Did they warn you about landsickness in the SEALs?”  
  
“I wasn’t a SEAL yet,” Steve said. “I’d heard about landsickness but didn’t think it was real.”  
  
“I guess you were proved wrong in the strongest sense of the word.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve agreed. “The more times I went to sea, the less severe the land sickness became. The doctors think your brain scrambles the signals and has a hard time transitioning between sea legs and land legs.”  
  
“Makes sense it would diminish with time,” Danny said as he pulled into the small paved lot for the row of stores that included the pharmacy. “You waiting here?”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve decided. “We can get coffee and the malsadas when you’re done.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny agreed, leaving Steve the keys in case he wanted to open the windows while he waited. It was still relatively cool but it could become stifling in the car in a hurry.  
  
Steve watched Danny cross the small lot and disappear into the drugstore. The pharmacy had been there since before Steve was born. There was something comforting about its consistency.   
  
Next to the pharmacy was a dry cleaner that took excellent care of Steve’s uniforms and suits. Danny had been so impressed with the results, he’d started using it as well. It wasn’t the cheapest cleaner but the extra care to details was worth it.  
  
Next in line was a nail salon with which Steve had no experience. He thought maybe Doris and Mary had been to it but manicures were not high on his list of preferred discussion topics. The last store in the row was the bakery that also served hot, fresh coffee. Steve thought he’d be up to drinking _hot_ coffee instead of lukewarm. If not, he’d wait for it to cool down.  
  
As he was considering his future choice of coffee, two loud motorcycles pulled into the lot and parked to the right of the stores, where the pavement turned into gravel. The area was shaded by some large trees, making the parking area popular even without it being properly paved. Steve studied the motorcyclists, an alarm buzzing in his head as he watched them. They were huddled too close together, the larger of the two big men speaking and gesturing to his left and to the drug store. The other one was nodding his massive head while reaching around to his back and under his leather vest, a brief flash of metal appearing before he straightened. Steve slid a little further down in his seat to avoid detection even though he was sure they weren’t paying him any attention as he watched them like a hawk. Their body language was off. Their movements were studied and supposedly casual.   
  
They were going to rob one of the stores, he was sure of it. Taking out his phone with one hand, he opened the glove compartment with the other. He didn’t remember seeing the spare gun but he had to double check.  
  
“Chin,” he said when the phone was answered.  
  
“What’s wrong?” Chin asked.  
  
“I think there is about to be a robbery. Send the nearest black and whites to my location,” Steve said quietly and urgently.  
  
“Give me the address,” Chin said, typing it in as Steve provided it. There was a brief pause and Steve could hear Chin talking on a second line. “Duke is dispatching two patrols. Their ETA is 3 minutes.”  
  
“I’m going in,” Steve said as he opened his door.  
  
“In?” Kono’s voice repeated. “In where?”  
  
“Danny’s in the drug store. That’s where they’re headed,” Steve said.  
  
“Are you armed?” Kono asked.  
  
“No but I’m not leaving Danny without backup.”  
  
“The patrols will be there in two and a half minutes, Steve. You need to wait,” Chin urged.  
  
“Danny could be dead in one,” Steve responded. “I’ll call when we’re clear.” With that he disconnected and debated with himself what to do. He was sure the would-be robbers hadn’t seen him. He could enter the drugstore like a regular customer, assure Danny he was there, then access the situation.  
  
Deciding on that course of action, he straightened and strolled across the parking lot, the bright sun not blocked by the dark glasses ramping up his headache. But he could ignore it long enough to ensure Danny’s safety and the safety of those working the pharmacy.  
  
He pulled on the door to enter but it was locked. Still acting like a regular customer, he knocked on the glass panel, frowning. He could just make out through the tinted glass the leader gesturing to the pharmacist then to the door. He couldn’t see Danny and slowed his heart rate at the possibility that he was already down.  
  
“We’re closed,” the pharmacist said when he unlocked the door to speak through the crack he’d opened. Steve could see his eyes were wide in fright, his breathing too rapid. There was a degree of calming when the pharmacist recognized Steve.  
  
“I need my meds,” Steve said, pulling at the door.  
  
“We’re closed,” the pharmacist said, not holding the door as tightly as he was able.  
  
“It’s regular business hours,” Steve stated, pulling the door open with a jolt. He subtly studied the pharmacist who was unbalanced by the force.  
  
“We told you to keep everybody out,” the leader said in a hardened voice. He was waving a gun at the general direction of Steve and the pharmacist.  
  
“Whoa dude,” Steve said in his best fake surfer voice. “Like - I just need my vicodan and some rubbers. Got a hot date later. I sure don’t want no trouble.” He raised his hands, trying to feign fear. He hoped it was working. Up closer he could tell that the bikers were robbing the store for their next fix. Having strung out assailants could be a plus in his column, especially once he determined where Danny was. Or it could make them even more dangerous. But he’d deal with that when the time came.   
  
“Get over here,” the head biker ordered, pointing around the corner of the dispensing area.   
  
Steve complied, rounding the corner to find Danny already sitting on the floor, staring holes up at him. “Here dude?”  
  
“Shut up,” the biker said, turning his focus back on the pharmacist. The second biker stayed close by Steve and Danny, his gun at the ready.  
  
“What the fuck are you doing in here?” Danny whispered without moving his mouth.  
  
“I should have just left you?” Steve whispered back.  
  
“Yes, that is precisely what you should have done.”  
  
“Not likely,” Steve said. “We need to disarm them.”  
  
“They outweigh us by approximately a freight train. How do you propose we do that?”  
  
“We got moves. I’ll take the bigger one and you take the smaller one over here,” Steve said.  
  
“You don’t have a gun, right?”  
  
“No. Apparently someone took it out of the glove compartment,” Steve said with a glare.  
  
“I had Grace,” Danny protested.   
  
“Not on Monday.”  
  
“All right. I’m sorry. We weren’t working and I forgot,” Danny said. The pharmacist had gone behind his counter with a plastic bag which he was filling as quickly as possible with assorted bottles. “Are those sirens?”  
  
“Patrols sent by Duke. We’ve got to subdue them before it becomes a hostage situation,” Steve said. “Where’s the clerk, Katy?”  
  
“She slipped out the back door. She probably called 9-1-1 too.”  
  
“I’m sure Chin and Kono are on their way,” Steve said. Their guard was shifting from foot to foot, not paying them any attention. “We’ve got to take them out.”  
  
“The big guy is too close to Rex. We can’t get to him while he can shoot Rex.”  
  
Steve stretched up to look through the glass partition enclosing the dispensing area, the huge biker barking commands at Rex and waving his gun to emphasize his point. “What are the chances they’ll leave when they have what they want?”  
  
“I’d say not good. The sirens are going to spook them in five seconds. We’ll be hostages.”  
  
Steve nodded in agreement, watching the bikers react to the approaching sirens that were growing louder and louder.  
  
“I said no cops,” the biker yelled at Rex.  
  
“I didn’t trip the alarm,” Rex said, taking a step back from the biker.  
  
“Somebody did,” the biker said, taking a swing at Rex. There was a sickening thud as his gun impacted the side of Rex’s head and then a quieter thump when Rex fell to the floor.  
  
“Hey, hey,” Steve said, standing up, his hands in the air. Danny was mirroring his actions, standing in a non-confrontational manner. “No need for that. You got what you came for. We’re no threat to anybody.”  
  
“Buck,” the smaller cyclist said with a note of urgency. “Cops are here. Two black and whites. At least two plain wrappers.”  
  
“I think it’s safe to say you’re surrounded,” Danny said in what he thought was a perfectly reasonable observation.  
  
“Shut up,” Buck yelled. He joined the second robber by the door, looking out between the slats of the blinds they had lowered.   
  
“There’s a back door,” Danny said helpfully, nodding with his head toward the door that led to the alley behind the row of stores.  
  
“I said shut up,” Buck said, pointing his gun at Danny. The second biker looked shaken by the turn of events and if he would get just a little closer, they could overpower him.  
  
“He can’t shut up,” Steve said. “He’s from Jersey. Genetically incapable of staying quiet.”  
  
“Shut up the both of you,” Buck ordered loudly. “Ken, find something to bind and gag them.”  
  
Ken looked around in confusion. He didn’t seem able to process the order. It clearly didn’t occur to him that the row of bandages on the shelf next to him would be perfect for gags and bindings.   
  
“Come on you idiot,” Buck said, pointing at the roll of bandages.   
  
Ken nodded and took several boxes from the shelf, approaching Steve and Danny. “Turn around,” he ordered.  
  
Steve looked over his head at Buck who was busy looking out the window at the growing force in the parking lot. Perfect. With lightening quick moves, he and Danny disarmed Ken, knocking him unconscious. Danny straightened with the confiscated gun, pointing it directly at Buck.  
  
“What we have here is a stand-off,” Danny said calmly as Steve secured Ken with the bandage roll.  
  
“Who are you?” Buck finally asked, realizing they were no ordinary patrons of the drugstore.  
  
“Two pissed off shoppers,” Steve said succinctly.  
  
“Put down your gun,” Danny ordered, gripping his gun with two hands and aiming directly at Buck’s chest.  
  
“Not going to happen,” Buck said, some of his firmness leaving at the unexpected turn of events. His gun was still aimed toward Danny which only served to piss off Steve even more.  
  
“I’ve had enough,” Steve announced, launching himself at Buck. He disarmed him with one swift kick but Buck was not going down without a fight. He landed one hard punch to Steve’s jaw, a second to his nose that resounded with a crack.  
  
Danny entered the fray, smashing the butt of the gun on the back of Buck’s head, rendering him unconscious.  
  
Steve was bent over, his left hand on his knees, his right on his cheek. “Mudder fudder,” he said as he spit out a mouthful of blood.  
  
“Oh great. He broke your stitches,” Danny said in dismay, opening the door to reveal himself to the officers outside. “Two perps down. One’s hogtied. One’s unconscious. Pharmacist is out cold,” he told Chin who had gotten to them first.  
  
“Steve?” Kono said, squatting next to him.  
  
“Sdidces busded,” Steve said, swaying on his feet.  
  
“Hey, hey,” Danny said, helping sit. “Call Tripler. See if they have an oral surgeon on standby.”  
  
“Right,” Chin said, pulling out his phone.   
  
Danny reached across the aisle from where they were sitting, taking a box of tampons and ripping open the box. Kono helped with the plastic wrapper and removing the applicator. “Here, Babe,” Danny said, holding the tampon in front of Steve’s mouth. Blood was running freely out of the side of his mouth, his face screwed up in pain. He looked cross-eyed at the tampon before carefully opening his mouth to let Danny gently place it between his teeth.  
  
“Fud, fud, fud,” Steve said, rocking slightly. He went to lean his head against the wall behind them but Danny stopped him.  
  
“Lean forward. You could choke on your own blood,” Danny warned. He checked the part of the tampon that protruded slightly from Steve’s mouth, unwrapping a second one. “Here,” he said, holding it up. Steve managed to open his mouth wide enough for Danny to take out the soaked tampon to replace it with the fresh one.  
  
“Mudder fudder,” Steve repeated, his head on his arms crossed over his drawn up knees.  
  
“What?” Kono said to Danny in confusion.  
  
“Mother fucker,” Danny translated.  
  
“Ahh,” Kono said, standing when Chin returned.  
  
“Tripler has an oral surgeon on stand-by. You’re going in the ambulance already here. We’ve called for three more,” Chin said.  
  
“Res nees do go fis,” Steve said.  
  
“What?” Chin asked, a frown crinkling his brows.  
  
“Rex needs to go first,” Danny supplied.  
  
“I’m fine, Steve,” Rex himself said, squatting next to Steve. “He didn’t hit me that hard. I thought playing opossum was for the best.”  
  
“Uhn,” Steve grunted, squinting at Rex. “Sdill nee a ospidal.”  
  
“I’ll go. But you need to get to Tripler before you bleed out,” Rex said firmly.  
  
“Nod bleedin daad mush,” Steve said.  
  
“How many tampons is that?” Rex asked Danny as he unwrapped another one.  
  
“This is the third one,” Danny confirmed, looking over at the door when the paramedics wheeled in the gurney. “This is yours. No arguments,” Danny told Steve firmly.  
  
“Uhn,” Steve conceded, carefully getting up with help from Danny and Chin. “I ca wall.”  
  
“Doesn’t matter,” Danny said, firmly guiding him to the gurney. “Get on. Now.”  
  
“Bossy,” Steve said, sitting down as ordered. He let the paramedics assist him in leaning back on the elevated portion so that they could do their preliminary check.  
  
“Injuries?” the taller one asked Danny.  
  
“Just his mouth. He had his wisdom teeth extracted on Tuesday and had stitches in his lower gum.”  
  
“Pretty sure they popped,” the second paramedic said. He was peering into Steve’s mouth with a flashlight, the third tampon discarded. “I placed plenty of gauze over the opening,” said when he saw Danny staring at the tampon he’d removed He wasn’t fazed by the death stare he was receiving. This was not the first time either of the paramedics had treated members of Five-0 and were no longer intimidated by their over-protectiveness. They rolled Steve out, explaining everything as they did it. Danny was certain that once they had him in the ambulance, they would start an IV to help keep him stable.  
  
“He’ll be fine, brah,” Kono said with a hand on Danny’s arm. “Come on. I’ll drive you to Tripler.”  
  
“Yeah, okay,” Danny agreed. “I’ll give my statement when I know Steve’s okay.”  
  
“We have Rex to give us the preliminaries,” Chin agreed. “Call as soon as you know about Steve.”  
  
“I will,” Danny promised, going out with Kono and getting into her car. Only then did he notice that his hands seemed to be covered in Steve’s blood. “Oh.”  
  
Kono reached into her backseat to bring out a package of wet naps. “This will help.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny said, accepting them and getting off as much of the blood as he could. “Just our luck.”  
  
“Trouble does follow you,” Kono agreed.  
  
“That’s Steve. I’m caught in the crossfire,” Danny said as Kono carefully negotiated around all of the police cars that had come to the scene. “Wait. I need coffee,” he said as she drove by the bakery.  
  
“Sure,” Kono said, pulling up parallel to the store, taking up at least three spaces.  
  
“You want?” Danny asked.  
  
“I’ll take a coffee,” she agreed.  
  
“I’ll be right back unless I’m taken hostage,” Danny said.  
  
“Be careful,” Kono said, watching him disappear into the bakery. Less than a minute elapsed before he was back out with two cups and an extra large box. “What’s all this?”  
  
“News travels fast, especially since Katy ran to them for help,” he said, giving her one of the cups. “They had the coffee ready to bring to us. They’ll take Chin his. And the malsadas are on the house.”  
  
She nodded, reaching into the box for one. “You’re okay, right?”  
  
“I’m fine. They yelled but didn’t touch me. Steve ninjaed the bigger bad guy by himself. Would have been fine if he hadn’t broken open his gum,” Danny said with a slight shiver.  
  
“You guys can’t catch a break, can you?” Kono said in sympathy as she pulled onto the road to head toward the base.  
  
“Apparently not,” Danny said with a sigh. “But the way I look at it, we have the rest of our lives to make up for lost time.”  
  
“True that,” Kono said. “I am maid of honor or there’s no wedding.”  
  
“Yeah, fine. Grace can be my best girl,” Danny said with a smile at the thought.  
  
“Perfect,” Kono agreed.  
  
“Although with Steve the rest of our lives could be tomorrow,” Danny said, shaking his head in dismay. Only they could be caught in the middle of a robbery while innocently picking up a prescription.  
  
“But what a ride,” Kono reminded him with a delighted laugh.  
  
“Yeah,” Danny had to agree, smiling with her.  



	4. Foreber

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Danny is there for Steve, like he always will be - Forever.

By the time Kono and Danny got to the base hospital, Steve was in with the oral surgeon. After checking their identification, the helpful nurse at the reception counter told them that the blow had broken the stitches in his bottom gum and split his upper gum. There was also a cut on the inside of his cheek. She said she thought he’d have several stitches in his upper gum to match the ones in his lower.  
  
“His nose?” Danny asked. He thought it had also been bleeding back at the pharmacy but the blood from Steve’s mouth made it hard to be sure.  
  
“It’s cracked but not broken,” she said. “He’ll be another half an hour. I’ll let you know as soon as you can see him.”  
  
“Okay,” Kono said, leading Danny to the all too familiar waiting area.  
  
“He’s going to be thrilled with missing more work,” Danny said.  
  
“Maybe it won’t be too long before he can come back,” Kono said hopefully.  
  
“Except he can barely eat,” Danny reminded her.  
  
“He can drink those awful smoothies. They will keep him going for a while.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed, trying to release some of the tension that had built up since the moment the bikers had entered the drug store. He had hoped that Steve wouldn’t try any heroics but had known that wish would be in vain. Steve wasn’t going to stand ideally by when Danny was under threat. Well, Danny could admit to himself, if their situations were reversed, he’d have done the exact same thing.  
  
Danny took out his phone when it vibrated in his pocket, frowning slightly when he saw Grace’s beautiful face. “Monkey?” Danny said.  
  
“Is Steve okay?” Grace asked in a rush.  
  
“Steve?” Danny repeated. “How do you know Steve got hurt?”  
  
“Danno,” Grace said in a tone that implied that as much as she loved him, sometimes he was just _lame._ “I have the Five-0 alert app on my phone. Every time you make the news, I get a text.”  
  
“Seriously?” Danny asked, glancing at Kono. “Do you know about the Five-0 app?”  
  
She rolled her eyes at him, the only answer he needed.  
  
“Danno,” Grace said to get his attention back. “Is Uncle Steve okay?”  
  
“He’s fine,” Danny assured her. “One of the robbers hit him and broke his stitches. He’s having them replaced right now.”  
  
“Oh,” Grace said with a sigh of relief. “Okay. Good.”  
  
“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” Danny asked, glancing up at the clock on the wall opposite of them.  
  
“It’s between classes,” she said.  
  
“I see,” Danny said. “You need to get to your next class.”  
  
“I won’t be late. Can I come see Uncle Steve tonight?”  
  
“He’s going to be groggy from the pain killers,” Danny explained. “Tomorrow will be better. I’ll pick you up after school.”  
  
“Promise?”  
  
“Of course I promise,” Danny said with a smile. “We’ll spend the weekend at Steve’s.”  
  
“Oh good,” she agreed. “Love you.”  
  
“Love you too. Now get to class.”  
  
She hung up, leaving the smile still on his face.  
  
“Grace was worried, I guess,” Kono said unnecessarily.  
  
“Why didn’t I know about this Five-0 app?” Danny asked, staring down at his phone.  
  
“Brah,” Kono said, taking his phone. She did her techno-voodoo before returning it to him. “Now. You’ll know every time one of us is mentioned by any of the press.”  
  
“Why does it exist?” Danny asked, scrolling through old entries.  
  
Kono shrugged with one shoulder. “Because someone decided to program it. I’m sure Toast could explain how and why and probably who.”  
  
“That’s true,” Danny said. “I hope my parents never find out about it.”  
  
“I’ve deleted it from Adam’s phone three times already,” Kono laughed. “I’m going to ask Toast if there’s a way I can block him from downloading it again.”  
  
“Chin can’t do it?” Danny asked.  
  
“I can’t do what?” Chin asked as he walked up to them.  
  
They explained, Chin shrugging. “I probably could but Adam doesn’t have Toast’s phone number. He’d have a harder time talking him into replacing it.”  
  
“I’m sure Adam couldn’t get his number if he wanted it,” Danny laughed.  
  
Kono just shrugged innocently.  
  
“Danno? Is there a Danno here?” asked a man who emerged from the double doors that led to the treatment center. He wore a white lab coat and a look of exasperation mixed liberally with impatience.  
  
“I’m Danno,” Danny said, standing to approach.  
  
“Commander McGarrett seems to be insisting to see you,” the man said, sounding tired and fed up.  
  
“Seems to be?”  
  
“It’s a little hard for us to understand what he’s saying,” the man said. “’Danno’ is the only word that’s completely clear.”  
  
“I see,” Danny said. “Are you the oral surgeon?”  
  
“I am. I’m Dr. Nevett,” the doctor said, turning to lead Danny back between the double doors. “We had to put six stitches in his lower gum, four in his upper, and two in his cheek. He fought the anesthesia which isn’t uncommon for sailors with his training.”  
  
“So he’s awake?”  
  
“Mostly. We gave him extra nitrous oxide during the procedure but he’s been fighting it the entire time. He’s intent on seeing you.”  
  
Danny nodded, ignoring the urge to apologize. The doctor’s tone was accusatory but Danny wasn’t going to take it personally. If the doctor was as aggravated as he sounded, that was on Steve, not on him. And he knew first hand how aggravating Steve could be under the best of circumstances.  
  
“Bu where iz e?” Steve’s voice was asking a nurse as the doctor led Danny into a small room furnished with a dental chair and the various equipment that often accompanied it.  
  
“I’m right here,” Danny said, rounding the chair so Steve could see him. Steve’s eyes brightened at the sight, but the rest of his face was a sad mess. His right cheek was swollen nearly to the size of a baseball, both eyes blackened. Danny didn’t think the biker had hit him in the eye but he couldn’t be certain. Steve was looking at Danny but his eyes didn’t seem entirely focused. “Why are you giving them such a hard time?”  
  
“Danno,” Steve sighed, reaching out to grasp his wrist.  
  
“I’m right here,” Danny repeated, taking a step closer.   
  
“Can you ask him how he’s feeling?” the doctor requested, the same tone of frustration clear.  
  
“Bedder,” Steve answered for himself. “Nod dissy.”  
  
“He’s feeling better and he’s not dizzy,” Danny interpreted.  
  
“Dizziness ought not be a concern,” the doctor said in the same stilted frustration.  
  
“The pain relievers he was taking gave him vertigo,” Danny explained.  
  
The doctor nodded curtly. “We can provide a different medication.”  
  
“We were in the process of picking up a new one when we were ambushed,” Danny said.  
  
“BAM,” Steve said a little too loudly. “Mudder fudders.”  
  
The doctor raised an eyebrow but Danny just waved it away. “How long before he can be released?” Danny asked instead.  
  
“If he is feeling up to it, you can take him off our hands now,” the doctor said.  
  
“Dr. Songe extracted his wisdom teeth. Can she remove the stitches when it comes time?” Danny asked as the nurse removed the cloth that had helped keep more blood off of Steve’s tee shirt, although it was a moot point considering the amount of blood already on it. Good thing the shirt was not one of Steve’s favorites. No amount of scrubbing would be able to get it out.  
  
“That would be fine,” Dr. Nevett agreed. “Once Commander McGarrett signs the release, we’ll forward his records.”  
  
“Right,” Danny said, watching the nurse print off the required forms. She handed the sheets and a pen to Danny who placed them before Steve. “Sign here.”  
  
Steve nodded dopily and did as instructed. “Li dis?”  
  
“Exactly like that,” Danny agreed, returning the forms to the nurse. “Thank you.”  
  
With the help of the nurse, Danny got Steve out of the chair and onto his feet. Steve was a little wobbly but not dangerously so. “I’ll keep a close eye on him.”  
  
“I’m certain you will,” Dr. Nevett said with the first thawing of stern frustration Danny had seen. “Take it easy, Commander. Listen to Danno.”  
  
“Danno,” Steve sighed, looping his arm over Danny’s shoulders. Danny knew it was as necessary to his stability as it was for his sense of security.  
  
“Call if you have any concerns or questions,” Dr. Nevett said as he led them back out to where Chin and Kono waited.  
  
“We will,” Danny agreed. “Thanks.”  
  
“Fangs,” Steve said.  
  
Dr. Nevett mostly ignored Steve as he turned and disappeared back through the doors.   
  
“Hey,” Steve said when he focused on Chin and Kono. “Wha’s up?”  
  
“The usual,” Kono said with a laugh. “You rushed in where angels fear to tread.”  
  
“Danno waz freadened.”  
  
“Freadened?” Kono repeated.  
  
“Threatened,” Danny explained.   
  
“Yeah,” Steve said nodding. “Freadened.”  
  
“But we prevented anything bad from happening, for everybody but you naturally,” Danny said, looking up at Steve’s swollen and discolored face.  
  
“Looks bad, brah. You feeling okay?” Chin asked.  
  
“‘M a liddle high,” Steve said in a loud whisper.  
  
“No kidding,” Danny said. “Let’s get you home before you crash and burn.”  
  
Steve nodded more times than necessary, holding tight to Danny.  
  
“Here,” Chin said, handing Danny the keys to the Camaro. “Kono will take me back.”  
  
“Thanks,” Danny said, leading Steve out toward the parking lot. Chin had left the Camaro in the five minute zone with its police lights flashing. His precautions prevented the car from being towed.   
  
“Brid,” Steve complained, shielding his eyes from the sun as much as he could.  
  
“I know, babe. The sunglasses are in the car,” Danny said, helping him ease down into the passenger seat. He got the dark glasses out of the glove compartment, handing them to Steve.  
  
“No gun,” Steve complained as Danny closed his door.  
  
“I know, babe. I’ll return it when we go back to work.”  
  
“We’ll come over tomorrow night,” Kono told Danny. “Make sure you and Grace have something to eat.”  
  
“Do you want us to pick her up? So you don’t have to leave Steve?” Chin offered.  
  
“That makes sense,” Danny agreed, opening his door. “No telling what he might get up to while I’m picking up Grace.”  
  
“Gacie,” Steve cheered.  
  
“Yes, Gracie is coming over tomorrow after school.”  
  
“T’day?” Steve asked, sounding hopeful and plaintive in equal measures.  
  
“No, not today. You’re way too doped up,” Danny reminded him.  
  
“Gacie,” Steve sighed, apparently accepting Danny’s explanation.  
  
“You got it, brah,” Chin said. “We’ll pick her up and bring dinner.”  
  
“Sounds good,” Danny agreed. “But you aren’t to get her on your motorcycle.”  
  
“Really?” Chin said. “You think there’s any chance I’d do that?”  
  
“No, of course not,” Danny said, hugging Chin and then Kono. “Thank you both.”  
  
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Kono said. “Call if you need anything.”  
  
“Steve’s prescription,” Danny realized. “I’ll need to stop on our way home.”  
  
“No need,” Chin said, reaching into the back seat. “Rex gave it to me.”  
  
“That’s a relief,” Danny said.  
  
“Danno,” Steve called in need, leaning toward the driver’s door.  
  
“That’s my cue,” Danny said. “I’ll call you both later.”  
  
“Good luck,” Kono said as Chin closed his door for him.  
  
“I’m right here, you goof,” Danny said when he was settled. “Can you fasten your seatbelt?”  
  
“Uhmm….” Steve reached over his right shoulder for it but it was uncooperative. “Doesn fid.”  
  
“You can’t focus enough to latch it,” Danny said with warm amusement. “Stop helping and I’ll take care of it.”  
  
“Sorry,” Steve said, lifting his hands clear of the connector.  
  
“There,” Danny said when it clicked into place. “That’s done it.”  
  
“Fang you,” Steve said, the goofy half smile still in place. Only the left side of his mouth was lifted, the right too swollen to move.  
  
“You are something special,” Danny said, smiling back at him.   
  
“Oday,” Steve agreed, covering his mouth as he yawned. “Sorry.”  
  
“No need. You can nap as soon as we get home,” Danny assured him, pulling out of the parking lot.  
  
“You doo,” Steve said, reaching over for Danny’s right hand.  
  
“All right,” Danny had to agree. “I know you won’t sleep if I don’t stay.”  
  
“Sday,” Steve said, looking over at Danny.  
  
“I’ll sday…stay,” Danny agreed. How could he possibly refuse when Steve was looking at him like that? Like Danny was the most important thing in the world to Steve and letting Danny out of his sight was impossible.  
  
“Oday. Good,” Steve said with a nod. Danny could see that his eyes were closed behind the sunglasses.  
  
“Don’t fall asleep, babe. I can’t drag your heavy ass upstairs.”  
  
“You li’ my azz,” Steve said without opening his eyes.  
  
“Don’t think I haven’t noticed the way you’ve admired mine, Commander Smooth Dog. You are not nearly so subtle as you like to believe.”  
  
“Nis azz,” Steve said.  
  
“Mine or yours?” Danny laughed.  
  
“Bof,” Steve decided.   
  
“Yeah,” Danny had to agree. Even if he wanted to argue, Steve was still so doped up it wouldn’t be a fair fight. But then, to tell the truth, he didn’t want to argue. He wanted to engage in show-and-tell, comparing asses up close and personal. Well, they’d get there eventually. Once Steve wasn’t incapacitated or high. That time couldn’t come soon enough for Danny.  
  
“You’re finging doo loud,” Steve complained, lolling his head to look over at Danny. “Frow lines.”  
  
“Sorry,” Danny said, smiling at Steve instead.   
  
“Wha’ ya finging so loud ‘bout?”  
  
“You. And me. And what we’ll be doing when you’re feeling bedder…better,” Danny admitted.  
  
“Naded,” Steve said before frowning thoughtfully. “Da’s nod a wod.”  
  
“Naked,” Danny interpreted. “Yes, I was thinking about being naked with you.”  
  
“Mmm… naded Danno,” Steve said with a sigh.  
  
“And naked Steve,” Danny agreed. “Not that you don’t spend most of your time finding excuses to take off your clothes anyway.”  
  
“Somedimes,” Steve said. “Mosly for you.”  
  
“Thank you,” Danny laughed. “No naded Steve when Gracie’s with us.”  
  
“Righ…righ,” Steve agreed.   
  
“Did you know there’s a Five-0 app that sends out alerts any time one of us is mentioned in the press?”  
  
“Naded?” Steve asked, not following the conversation.  
  
“No,” Danny laughed. “Grace told me about the app. It doesn’t have anything to do with us being naked. She got a text alert that you were hurt.”  
  
“Desd?” Steve said, frowning as much as he could. “Gacie god id?”  
  
“Never mind,” Danny said. “We’ll discuss it again when you’re totally with me.”  
  
“Oday,” Steve said. “Sorry.”  
  
“No need,” Danny replied with a smile. “I shouldn’t ask you such complicated questions when you barely know your own name.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said. “Seepy.”  
  
“I know, babe. You can go to sleep just as soon as we get home.”  
  
“Oday,” Steve said, sighing as Danny pulled into his driveway.  
  
“Come on, big guy,” Danny said when he was on the passenger side of the car. He helped Steve stand, checking for the degree of wobbling from his legs. He seemed pretty steady but Danny didn’t dare leave him to his own devices. He knew Steve would face plant for sure. “Couch or bed?” Danny asked when they were inside the house.  
  
“Mmm…” Steve said glancing at the stairs. “Doo far.”  
  
“All right,” Danny agreed, helping him over to the couch. He sat down on the couch with Steve, tugging at the hem of his ruined shirt. “Take this off so I can get you a clean one.”  
  
“Ugh,” Steve said when he looked down at all the dried blood covering his shirt. He pulled it up and off, handing it to Danny. “Dash can.”  
  
“Yeah,” Danny agreed. “I’ll get you a clean one.”  
  
“Nuh huh,” Steve said, laying down on the couch in just his shorts. “Seep now.”  
  
“All right,” Danny said, with a smile down at him as he covered him with the light blanket they had been using yesterday. Steve was laying on his back, staring blindly up at the ceiling. “Go to sleep.”  
  
“Dis suds,” Steve said.  
  
“I know it does. And I’m sorry. The next time I go into a drug store, I’ll make sure it isn’t about to be robbed.”  
  
“Good,” Steve said. “You sdaying?”  
  
“I need to eat some lunch first,” Danny said, checking Steve’s watch. It felt like it should be much later than 1:30.  
  
“Oday,” Steve agreed, pulling up the blanket.  
  
“You want a movie?”  
  
“ _Liddle Mermaid_ ,” Steve decided. “Don’ dell Gacie.”  
  
“You have my promise,” Danny laughed, turning it on. The movie was soothing and comfortable and required the expenditure of no brain cells. It was the perfect soundtrack for Steve to sleep off the last of the nitrous oxide and Novocain. “You thirsty?”  
  
“Nuh huh,” Steve said.  
  
“Okay. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”  
  
By the time Danny got back to the living room with his sandwich and glass of icy water, Steve was sound asleep. He hadn’t moved at all from where he’d lay down, his head slightly elevated by the pillow they had been using. There were lines grooved between Steve’s eyebrows which meant he was uncomfortable, probably from the diminishing of the numbing agents he’d been given. Danny suspected that when he woke up, he’d be in a world of hurt. He checked the new medication Chin had thought to bring from Rex’s, hoping it would be strong enough to deal with the new injuries. It was a fairly strong pain killer, one Steve had taken before. Danny hoped that meant there’d be no vertigo accompanying the pills.  
  
~0~  
  
Steve slept for almost three hours, Danny checking periodically to make sure he was still breathing. In between monitoring the comatose, he tidied the house, did some laundry, and watched some TV. His call to Kono and Chin was as uneventful as their day had been, much to their combined relief. After assuring them that Steve was sleeping, he rung off.  
  
“Nod seepin’,” Steve said, stretching his arms over his head.  
  
“You were until just this minute,” Danny said, watching him. “How’s your mouth?”  
  
“Hurds,” Steve admitted as he slowly sat up.  
  
“I would imagine it does,” Danny said. “I’ll get you some water and you can take the new pain med.”  
  
“Bafroom,” Steve said, standing cautiously to make sure the room didn’t intend to pitch him face first onto the floor.  
  
“You steady on your feet there, sailor?”  
  
“Aye-aye,” Steve replied before disappearing into the bathroom. It only took a minute for him to reappear, rubbing his eyes with great care. “I loo’ li’ shid.”  
  
“Yeah you do,” Danny said, laughing at his expression. “But you’re supposed to, after being the big strong hero.”  
  
“Sdop,” Steve said, sitting back by him. “Id’s wha’ you’d a done.”  
  
“Yes it is,” Danny agreed, giving Steve the bottle of room temperature water and two pills which seemed to take up his entire palm.  
  
“Horse pies,” Steve said as he accepted both.  
  
“It should knock out the pain. And probably knock you out with it.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said, swallowing the medication with some difficulty.  
  
“You want some pudding?” Danny asked.  
  
“Yeah. I bedder.”  
  
“I’ll be right back,” Danny said, going into the kitchen for a cup of pudding. In truth, he needed to distance himself from Steve’s half naked, sleep warmed body. Being in such close proximity was bad for his self-restraint. All that tanned, bared skin just waiting to be touched, caressed, tasted…. He took a deep breath and a long drink of icy water before returning to the living room to give Steve the pudding and a spoon. While he’d been in the kitchen, Steve had pulled on the clean tee shirt Danny had left for him on the coffee table, minimizing the amount of exposed skin. “Here you go.”  
  
“Fang you,” Steve said, taking the cup and looking at its contents. He stirred the pudding with a listless motion, finally taking a tiny lick off the spoon.  
  
“Not so great today, huh?” Danny asked in sympathy.  
  
“No,” Steve agreed.   
  
“Do you want soup instead?”  
  
“No,” Steve said, sounding whiny to his own ears.  
  
“I’m sorry, babe. Is there anything you know you’d be able to eat?”  
  
Steve sighed and shook his head. “I’m feelin’ sorry for mysef.”  
  
“I think you’re due,” Danny said. “Let’s go sit in the sun for a few minutes. That might help recharge your batteries.”  
  
“Oday,” Steve agreed, taking his pudding outside with them. “Mmm…”  
  
“You can’t stay in the sun too long while you’re still on antibiotics,” Danny reminded him as Steve pulled his chair into a bright pool of sun.  
  
“I know,” Steve said. “Feels ‘ood.”  
  
“Of course it does,” Danny laughed. He was pretty sure Steve’s eyes were closed behind the sunglasses he’d slipped on before they left the house. “Try and eat.”  
  
“Oday,” Steve said, not even attempting it.  
  
“Did you hear me?” Danny asked him.  
  
“Yeah,” Steve said, extending the pudding to Danny.  
  
“I didn’t say I should eat it. I said you should,” Danny said, automatically accepting the cup.  
  
“Shhh….” Steve said, reaching out to engulf Danny’s hand with his own. “Head hurds.”  
  
“I don’t doubt it. I do doubt that’s the reason you want me to stop talking,” Danny said. “I know better.”  
  
Steve shrugged with one shoulder, stretching his long legs out in front of him. Danny kicked off one of his shoes, running his foot up and down those strong, brown limps, considering what it would be like when their entire bodies would be in such close contact.  
  
“Kono said when we get married, she’s bridesmaid or we can forget having a wedding,” Danny said in order to give his thoughts a safer direction.  
  
“Are you paposin’ to me?” Steve asked, laughter in his voice.  
  
“If that word is proposing, then yes, I guess I am,” Danny admitted, leaning closer to very carefully kiss Steve’s swollen cheek. “Are you accepting?”  
  
“Ception’s pening,” Steve claimed.  
  
“Uh huh,” Danny said. “I guess we should have a real date before we begin planning a wedding.”  
  
“We da’ all the time,” Steve said.  
  
“Not formally,” Danny decided. “It hardly matters. We’re the real thing.”  
  
“Uh huh,” Steve agreed. “Real fing.” He opened his eyes enough to look over at Danny, his expression conveying all that his words couldn’t. Even distorted by the bruising and swelling, Danny could see the love on his face.  
  
“I love you too. But I’m pretty sure you know that,” Danny said.  
  
“I know,” Steve agreed. “I wanna diss you.”  
  
Danny laughed, shaking his head. “You are a romantic. Dissing me after I confess to you.”  
  
“Not diss you. DISS you,” Steve said.  
  
“That clears things right up,” Danny said.  
  
“Sdop. You know wha’ I’m sayin’,” Steve said.  
  
“That you want to kiss me,” Danny said, his smile crinkling the corners of his eyes. “I want to kiss you too.”  
  
“Yeah,” Steve sighed. “Dissin’. Soon.”  
  
“I sure hope so,” Danny said. “I don’t know how many more nights I can sleep with you when all we do is sleep.”  
  
“Soon we won’ be seepin’,” Steve promised. “And then we’ll be nod jus’ seepin’ foreber.”  
  
“Foreber,” Danny agreed, knowing that for them, forever might only be a day, or a week, or a month. But what a great time their foreber would be.  



End file.
